The "Fab Four". If you have followed Test match cricket even casually in the last decade, there is every chance that you would rattle out the four names even before it is mentioned in this piece. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, batting Genius Steve Smith, England captain Joe Root, and New Zealand maestro Kane Williamson form an illustrious quartet of willow wielders of the modern era.

Each player has set new benchmarks, pushing the others to improve their game. These four batters have not only dominated the World of Cricket but have also carried the expectations of their respective nations. This rivalry has not only enhanced their careers but has also been a huge boost for cricket, providing fans with memories to cherish for a lifetime.

In this article, the main focus will be on Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. Australia's Steve Smith currently holds the record for the most hundreds in Test cricket among the 'Fab Four' with 32 tons.

Also Read: Most International Hundreds among Active Players

While Smith has hit 32 Test tons, Root has scored 30 since making his debut in 2012. The former England captain is also the first batter among the 'Fab Four' to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has scored 29 Test centuries in his red-ball cricket career so far. Kane Williamson now also has scored 30 test centuries which came against South Africa at the Bay Oval.

However, what makes Steve Smith stand out among the other batters is his batting average. The former Australia captain has 9,634 runs in 107 Tests at an average of 58.03, making him the most consistent batter among the rest.

The former New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson has scored 8,263 runs at an average of 54.36 in 96 test matches which makes him the second most consistent batter among the rest.

Fab Four: Most Test Centuries

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Central Contract for the 2025-26 season on Monday, 21st April 2025. 7 new players were added to the contract, while players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan returned to the list after missing out last time.

Last year, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were left out of the BCCI central contract after opting out of the domestic games for their respective state teams. BCCI's focus on domestic cricket left them out of the central contract despite being part of the Indian team set up a few months ago.

But, this time, both the Indian batters were added to the contract after Iyer won everything in the domestic cricket last season, along with lifting the IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders. Ishan Kishan also played through the entire domestic season and has been rewarded with the contract too. 

Read Also | "Mere Sath Kyun?.:" Ishan Kishan breaks silence on Team India exit and Central Contract termination

Talking points from the BCCI Central Contract 2025

Rohit and Kohli stay in Grade A+ 

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remained in the Grade A+ category despite retiring from the T20I format. Rohit and Virat had announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game after lifting the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies. 

Ravindra Jadeja is another name who has been listed in the A+ category despite retiring from the T20Is after the World Cup victory.

Bumrah is the only all-format player in A+

With Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja retiring from the shortest format of the game, Jasprit Bumrah remains the only all-format player to be in the A+ category of the BCC Central Contract 2025.

Pant is promoted to the Grade A category

Rishabh Pant received a promotion to the A category after being in the B category last year. Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami are the other names in the A category, who were already there in last year's contract. 

Ravi Ashwin has been left out of the contract since he retired from international cricket.

Iyer listed in grade B; Kishan in grade C

Shreyas Iyer, who was left out of the contract last year, has been included in the Grade B, while Ishan Kishan has been listed in the Grade C. 

Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the other names in Grade B, who were there last time as well. 

New 7 names in Grade C

7 new players have been added to the BCCI Central Contract 2025. All of these players found themselves in Grade C. 

Dhruv Jurel, Sarafraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Akash Deep are the players who received the contract for their performances in the last season. 

Not to be confused, Akash Deep earlier had a fast bowling contract and this year received the central contract after doing well in the Test format. 

Shardul Thakur, Jitesh Sharma, KS Bharath, Avesh Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa have been left out of the contract this year.

Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa were all part of the fast bowling contract last season. 

BCCI Central Contract 2025

BCCI announces annual player retainership 2024-25 - Team India (Senior Men) 💙🤝#Bcci #IndianCricket #Viratkohli #RohitSharma #jaspritbumrah #Shreyasiyer #KlRahul #HardikPandya #Ipl2025 pic.twitter.com/LSmlg06QOS

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) April 21, 2025

Indian team's star batsman Virat Kohli scored a brilliant half-century in the match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. The former captain, who is in great form, became the first Indian to score 100 half-centuries in T20 cricket. 

The Indian stalwart entered the exclusive club, which solely featured David Warner as its sole member. The former Australia star boasts a staggering 108 half-centuries in the T20 format.

Also Read: Most Wickets in 1st Over of IPL

Let's take a look at the batters with most gifties in T20 cricket.

Most Fifties in T20 Cricket

5. Jos Buttler | 86

The England batter Jos Buttler has a fantastic record in the shortest format and has featured in franchise cricket all around the world. Buttler is a part of the Gujarat Titans side in the ongoing IPL season. He has so far played 440 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a total of 12,331 runs with 8 hundreds and the highest individual score of 124.

4. Chris Gayle | 88

The explosive West Indies batter Chris Gayle has played franchise cricket all around the world and has also featured a lot for the national side in the shortest format. Gayle has played 463 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a total of 14,562 runs with 22 centuries and the highest individual score 175*.

3. Babar Azam | 90

The Pakistan batter has not only played a lot of T20 cricket for the national side, but has also featured a lot in franchise cricket. Babar has so far played 311 matches in the format, scoring a total of 11,042 runs with 11 hundreds and the highest individual score of 122.

2. Virat Kohli | 100*

The India star batter Virat Kohli scored his 100th half-century in T20 cricket during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's clash against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. Kohli has so far played 405 matches in the format, scoring a total of 13,134 runs with 9 centuries and the highest individual score of 122*.

Also Read: Most Fifties (and over) in IPL History

1. David Warner | 108

The former Australia batter David Warner has played a total of 400 matches in T20 cricket, scoring a massive 12,925 runs. Along with a humongous number of half-centuries, Warner also has 8 centuries under his name in the format with the highest individual score of 135*.

Indian Premier League has been one of the toughest yet entertaining cricket leagues in the world since its inception in 2008. Since then, many Indian and overseas batters have gone on to score plenty of runs for their teams. In this article, we will discuss all those batters who have scored the most fifties (and over) in IPL history. 

Currently, former Australian batter David Warner holds the record for the most fifties (and over) scored in IPL history with 66 fifties. Indian legend Virat Kohli follows him on the list with 65 fifties. With his consistency, Virat Kohli can go past Warner any time and become the batter with the most fifties (and over) in IPL history. 

Shikhar Dhawan, who is considered one of the best openers in IPL history, has 53 IPL fifties to his name. However, he will not be able to increase that number as he has already hung up his boots. 

Rohit Sharma, with 45 IPL fifties, and KL Rahul with 43 fifties can surely get close to David Warner's number. Rahul has been in tremendous form and has already scored two fifties in IPL 2025. However, Rohit Sharma has struggled to get going this season. 

Read Also | Most runs in IPL since 2018

AB de Villiers and Suresh Raina, two of the greatest middle order batters ever to play in Indian Premier League history, also come upon the list with 43 and 40 IPL fifties to their names. 

Faf du Plessis (38) is another name among the active cricketers who ranks among the top 10 players with most IPL fifties so far. 

Read Also | IPL Facts: Most Man of the Match Awards in IPL History

Most fifties (and over) in IPL History (Top 10)

Since its inaugural season in 2008, the IPL has recognized outstanding individual performances through various awards such as the Orange Cap for the highest run-scorer, the Purple Cap for the leading wicket-taker, and the Emerging Player Award for young talents. 

Among such individual awards held in high esteem is the Man of the Match award, given to the standout performer of each game. This award is presented to the player who makes the most significant impact, whether through batting, bowling, or all-round impact.

So let's take a look at the IPL facts of most Man of the Match awards in IPL history.

Also Read: Most Wickets Among Spinner in IPL Since 2023

IPL Facts | Most Man of the Match Awards in IPL

5# David Warner | 18

David Warner is one of the most consistent players in IPL history. He has won the Man of the Match award 18 times and is fifth on this list. He led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title in the 2016 season, where he scored 848 runs. 

Overall, Warner has scored 6565 runs at a strike rate of 139.77 and an average of 40.52. He also holds the record for scoring the most fifties (60) in IPL history. However, Warner remained unsold in the ongoing season.

4# Virat Kohli | 18

RCB superstar Virat Kohli has been playing for the team in the IPL since 2008. Even after scoring over 8000 runs, Kohli is showing no signs of stopping. When it comes to winning Man of the Match awards, Kohli has won 18 awards just like David Warner. Along with 18 POTM, Kohli also has 1 Most Valuable Player of the Season.

Virat is also the highest run getter in IPL with the record of being the first player who scored 7000 runs in IPL history. Overall Kohli made 8190 runs in 249 innings with an average of 38.81 and a strike rate of 132.24.

Kohli has a superb season with the bat in IPL 2016 when he scored 4 hundreds in a single season along with a mammoth 973 runs.

3# Rohit Sharma | 19

Rohit Sharma, with 19 Man of the Match awards, ranks first among Indian players and third overall. He is arguably the most successful captain in IPL history, having led the Mumbai Indians to five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 seasons respectively. 

Alongside the brilliant captaincy, he is also a good batsman in IPL. He scored 6666 runs in IPL his career so far at an average of 29.36 and strike rate of 131.14.

Read Also: IPL: Most Man of the Match awards by Indian Players

2# Chris Gayle | 22

'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle has established himself as the greatest T20 cricketer of all time with his consistent performances over the years. The left-handed batsman has won the Player of the Match award 22 times in the league. 

Gayle has 4965 runs in the IPL at a strike rate of 148.96 and an average of 39.72. He has scored a record 6 centuries and 31 half-centuries in the history of the tournament. He also holds the record for the highest individual score(175*) in IPL history.

1# AB de Villiers | 25

Former South African batsman AB de Villiers also established himself as one of the leading finishers in T20 cricket. Mr 360 of T20 cricket has won 25 awards in the history of the league, the most by any player. 

Overall AB has scored 5162 runs in 170 innings at an incredible strike rate of 151.68 and an average of 39.70. De Villiers had decided to retire from all forms of cricket in November 2021.

IPL Facts | Indians with Most M.O.M Awards in IPL

In a tournament like the IPL, the role of the captain is of utmost importance given that the game can change very quickly. However, it is not an easy job to lead a side in such a big tournament. The franchises also do not give a longer run to a player if he fails to perform as a captain. 

There have been few cricketers who have enjoyed a long run in captaincy in IPL because of their consistent performance and mind blowing winning percentage. 

In this article, we will be discussing the most wins in IPL as captain.

Most wins in IPL as captain 

6. David Warner | 40

Australian player David Warner has captained Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 83 games, winning 40 and losing 41, two of which were tied. 

He is also the third Aussie to win the IPL title as captain.

5. Shreyas Iyer | 40 Wins

Shreyas Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season, he has joined the IPL winning captains along with greats MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Iyer has been the captain in 72 games for three different franchise (DC, KKR, and PBKS), in which he has won 40 games and lost 29.

4. Virat Kohli | 66 Wins

Virat Kohli is the most successful Test captain for India and also led Royal Challengers Bangalore for several seasons in the IPL. Overall, Virat Kohli captained for a total of 143 matches and won 66 and lost 70 of these matches with a win percentage of 46.15. 

Later, Faf du Plessis took over from him as skipper. Now Rajat Patidar is leading the team in 18th season. 

3. Gautam Gambhir | 71 Wins

Gautam Gambhir has proved his leadership skills in the IPL and international cricket alike. In total, Gautam Gambhir won 71 matches out of the 129 he captained. 

The left-handed batter was Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper in their successful campaigns in 2012 and 2014, making him the third-most successful IPL captain. He also led the team for the Delhi Capitals in multiple seasons. His winning percentage in IPL as captain is 55.03.

2. Rohit Sharma | 87 Wins

One of the most successful leaders of IPL, Rohit Sharma has captained Mumbai Indians in 158 games, in which he won 87 of them and lost 67. Under Rohit's captaincy, MI has won 5 IPL titles ( 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020).

Rohit's win percentage in IPL as captain is 55.06.

1. MS Dhoni | 133 Wins

India's legendary leader Mahendra Singh Dhoni has captained two franchise (CSK and RPS) in his career. In 226 games as a leader, Dhoni has won 133 and lost 91 times. He also led CSK to five IPL titles in the years 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Dhoni's win percentage of 58.84 is the highest among captains to have led in more than 50 matches. He also holds the record for playing the most number of IPL matches as a captain.