Irfan Pathan’s IPL story is told best through the rhythm of his left-arm swing. Across nine seasons from 2008 to 2017, the all-rounder turned 2043 deliveries into 80 wickets at a strike-rate of 25.54, keeping batters guessing with an economy of 7.78. Four times he tilted matches with three-wicket bursts, never more devastating than when the new ball nipped away under lights. Yet Pathan the bowler had a batting heartbeat. Promoted up the order, he smashed 1139 runs from 946 balls, striking at 120 and clearing the ropes 37 times while threading 87 fours. His lone fifty—an electric 60—came at 186.66 and remains a reminder that he could flip a chase in a flash. From Punjab Kings in the inaugural year to the debutant Gujarat Titans in 2017, Pathan wore six different jerseys, but the left-arm angle and fearless swing stayed constant. Eighty wickets, 1139 runs: the numbers frame a rare IPL double—strike bowler who could also open the batting and win you a game either side of the innings.

Virat Kohli is the undisputed batting king of the Indian Premier League, a Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifer who has turned loyalty into legend across 18 electrifying seasons from 2008 to 2025. With 8,661 runs off 6,519 balls, Kohli is the league’s highest-ever run-getter, firing at a strike rate of 132 and painting every corner of every ground with 771 fours and 291 towering sixes. His 63 half-centuries and 8 hundreds—topped by a blistering 113*—tell the story of a man who converts starts into statements, walking in 259 innings and delivering a match-defining fifty or hundred in roughly one out of every four trips to the crease. While he has rolled his arm over occasionally, claiming four wickets from 26 bowling innings, it is with the bat that Kohli has authored the IPL’s most enduring chronicle, forever clad in the red and gold of RCB.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.