Rahul Ajinkya Tripathi, better known as R A Tripathi, has emerged as one of IPL’s most explosive Indian batsmen, lighting up nine seasons with 2,291 runs off just 1,662 balls at a strike rate of 137. The right-hander has carved 229 boundaries and 85 sixes in 98 innings, showing a boundary every 5.5 balls. While he is still chasing that elusive maiden century, Tripathi has thrilled fans with 12 half-centuries and a blistering 93 as his highest score. Since his eye-catching debut for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017, Tripathi has hopped across five franchises—Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and now Chennai Super Kings—adapting seamlessly to every middle-order role. His most productive phase came in the orange of Sunrisers between 2022-24, where his fearless hitting at the death became a hallmark of their campaign. In 2025, CSK secured his services to add firepower at numbers three and four, banking on his proven ability to clear the ropes late in the innings. Though he bowls the occasional off-break, his 1-0-12-0 numbers in a solitary over highlight that his true value lies in dismantling bowling attacks, not containing them. With nearly 2,300 runs of evidence, Tripathi’s bat remains the headline act in the IPL’s high-octane theatre.

Chris Gayle IPL story: 13 seasons, 4 965 runs, 357 sixes and one unforgettable 175. The self-styled “Universe Boss” walked into IPL 2009 with Kolkata Knight Riders, but it was at Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 2011-2017 that he became a global T20 icon—belting 404 fours and 357 sixes overall at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 148. In 141 innings he cleared the rope once every 9.3 balls and produced 31 half-centuries plus six blistering hundreds, the most famous being his record 175* off 66 balls at the Chinnaswamy in 2013. After his Bengaluru fireworks, Gayle took his power game to Punjab Kings, turning up in orange from 2018 to 2021 and continuing to pepper boundaries with the same ruthless ease. While he rolled his arm over occasionally—18 wickets in 38 bowling innings—his narrative is written in soaring sixes and match-winning hundreds that re-defined T20 batting forever.

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