Virat Kohli (RCB)
First in the list features Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s star batter Virat Kohli. The right-hander is the highest run-getter in the history of the competition and the only batter to score more than 8,000 runs. Last year, he was the team's leading run-getter with 657 runs with an average of 54.75 and with a strike rate of 144.71, in a competition where they went on to lift their maiden title. One big challenge for Kohli would be that he has not played a professional T20 match for nearly 12 months, and it will be interesting to see whether Kohli will be able to overcome the lack of match practice at the highest level and, once again, deliver the goods for the side in defending their title.
Sai Sudharsan (GT)
Second in the list features Gujarat Titans' top-order batter Sai Sudharsan. The left-hander was simply outstanding for the franchise in the previous edition of the IPL, where he finished as the top run-getter with 759 runs with an average of 54.21 along with a strike rate of 156.17, which included one century and six half-centuries in just 15 innings, which included a breathtaking 80 off just 49 balls in the eliminator against MI Emirates while chasing 229. The Titans will be hoping that Sudharsan can deliver a similar performance in this year's IPL and take his team even further in the competition.
Blessing Muzarabani (KKR)
Third on the list features Zimbabwe's ace pacer Blessing Muzarabani. The right-arm pacer was selected as a replacement for Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was withdrawn from the competition because of a tense political relationship between the two countries. Muzarabani's rise to become an IPL was largely down to his brilliant outing in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, where he was one of the reasons why Zimbabwe managed to cement a spot in the Super Eight despite being placed in the group consisting of the likes of joint hosts Sri Lanka and former world champions Australia. Muzarabani finished the tournament with 13 wickets, joint second-most, in just six innings with an economy rate of less than eight runs per over. Overall, the 29-year-old has played 137 T20s in his career, taking 155 wickets at an economy rate of 7.35 runs per over.
Suryakumar Yadav (MI)
Fourth in the list features Mumbai Indians' veteran batter Suryakumar Yadav. The 35-year-old, who recently led India to their third ICC T20 World Cup title after beating New Zealand in the final, had a phenomenal year with the bat in the IPL last year, where he finished second on the most runs tally. Yadav scored 717 runs with an average of 65.18 and with a strike rate of nearly 168, which included five half-centuries. Yadav's batting form since then has remained a mixed bag, with struggles for most of it but some impressive knocks leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup. In the recently concluded mega-event, Yadav played some notable knocks for the Men-in-Blue and finished with 242 runs with an average of 30.25 and with a strike rate of 136.72. The Mumbai Indians' team management will be hoping that their star batter can continue producing similar performances in this year's competition as well.
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS)
Last in the list features Punjab Kings' captain and star batter Shreyas Iyer. The right-hander had a phenomenal time with the bat in hand in the IPL 2025, where he finished with the second-highest strike rate (604 runs at a strike rate of 175) amongst batters who scored more than 500 runs, only behind Nicholas Pooran. He was one of the primary reasons behind the Kings' dream run, which eventually ended in the final where they came second-best against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Iyer himself will be hoping to produce even better performances this year, which will be enough for his side to go one step further and lift their maiden IPL title.
