The fifteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to get underway on March 26 (Saturday), 2022 with a clash between last year's finalists Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This league has established itself to be one of the most popular tournaments in World cricket.
Meanwhile, only 8 players are there who played every season of IPL since its inaugural edition in 2008. The players are following Dinesh Kartik, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Shikhar Dhawan, and lastly Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dinesh Kartik has played for the following franchises - DD, MI, KXIP, RCB, GL, and KKR. Meanwhile, Saha has played for KKR, CSK, KXIP, SRH, and now GT.
Dinesh Kartik has played for the following franchises - DD, MI, KXIP, RCB, GL, and KKR. Meanwhile, Saha has played for KKR, CSK, KXIP, SRH, and now GT. In the case of Rohit Sharma, it's only Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians (since 2011).
Former RCB Captain Virat Kohli is the only player to play for a single franchise in IPL
However, Virat Kohli is the only player in the history of IPL to play for a single franchise RCB in all seasons. In the case of MS Dhoni, it's two teams CSK and RPS. For spot-fixing reasons, CSK was banned for two years in middle years.
The last three players are remaining on this list. The first one is Shikhar Dhawan who played for the following franchises - DD, SRH, Deccan Chargers, SRH, Delhi Capitals, and now PBKS.
The last three players are Shikhar Dhawan who played for the following franchises - DD, SRH, Deccan Chargers, SRH, Delhi Capitals, and now PBKS. The second one is Manish Pandey who played for MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, and now will play for LSG. The last one on the list is Robin Uthappa. Robin has played for MI, RCB, PWI, KKR, RR, and CSK.
All of the above mentioned players will be featured for different franchises in the upcoming IPL 2022 season.
Cricket facts: Every ODI captain of India and their records (men’s)
As Shubman Gill is all set to become the 28th ODI captain of India, here are all the ODI captain of India and their records as the leader in the 50-over format.
A total of 27 players have captained the Indian ODI Cricket team. The very first ODI captain of the Indian cricket team was Ajit Wadekar. He captained the ODI team in 1974 and played just 2 matches as captain. Unfortunately, India lost both of them. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma are among the most successful Indian captains.
In any sport, including cricket, captaincy is perhaps the most important role that influences the overall performance of the entire team. Here is the cricket facts of every ODI captain of Indian Men's Cricket team and their records.
Cricket facts: Every ODI captain of India and their records (men’s)
First ODI captain
It all started in the year 1974 when India played their first ODI match against England. Ajit Wadekar, who had earlier been a successful captain for India in Tests, was named captain of India's first ODI team.
Wadekar played an amazing knock of 67 runs, only to end up on the losing side. He couldn't do well in the next match and eventually retired right after the series.
Wadekar was followed by Srinivasraghavan Venkataraghavan, who holds the remarkable record of captaining India in their first-ever ODI World Cup. He captained India in 7 matches and managed to win only one of those, against East Africa. His spin-bowling partner, Bishen Singh Bedi, then captained India in 4 matches, of which India lost 3. Gundappa Vishwanath also captained India in a solitary ODI match in 1980, which didn't go their way.
India's ODI skipper in the 1980s
The earliest glory to India's ODI set-up came during the captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Gavaskar took up the captaincy in 1980, 9 years after making his debut for the Indian team.
Of all the cricketers who had captained India in ODIs till then, Gavaskar had the highest win percentage (40%), which he had notched up after winning 14 out of 37 matches. That was also the highest number of matches ever captained by any single cricketer for India in ODIs, till then.
Then came Kapil Dev, who took the reins of captaincy from Gavaskar in 1982. Within just one year of Dev's captaincy, India managed to pull off the unthinkable by defeating all the big guns of world cricket and claiming India's first-ever World Cup in 1983.
Before the World Cup, he had also led India to their first-ever ODI win against two-time World Champions, the West Indies. Dev continued to captain India for a decade, the most by any player till then, and notched up a then-highest win percentage of 54.16. He captained India in 74 ODIs, out of which India won 39.
Azharuddin-Tendulkar era
Following Kapil Dev, wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani and all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath captained India in 1 match each. Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth then went on to captain India in 11, 18 and 13 ODIs respectively, but India attained a stable phase in 1989 with Mohammad Azharuddin holding the reins of the team. He continued to lead India for 10 years, captaining the team in 174 matches, of which India won 90.
Sachin Tendulkar's era coincided with that of Azharuddin, as he took up the leadership role in the year 1996 and led India in 73 matches throughout a period of 3 years. Under Sachin, India managed to win 23 matches.
Ganguly-Dhoni era
Saurav Ganguly took charge of the team at a time when it was going through a tough phase following the allegations of match-fixing. He revived India's fortunes by introducing the growth of future greats of Indian cricket, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and one of India's most successful captains, MS Dhoni.
He developed one of India's finest teams that played fearless cricket. Ganguly led India to the final of the 2002 Champions Trophy.
Rahul Dravid captained India irregularly for a few years before taking it up full-time from Saurav Ganguly in 2005. Dravid finished with a decent win percentage of 56 before meeting a disastrous end in the form of the 2007 ICC World Cup debacle. He captained India in 79 matches, of which the team won 42.
MS Dhoni then led India through one of their greatest phases, as under him, India won one ICC World Cup and one Champions Trophy. He captained India in a record 200 ODIs, the highest by anyone to date. Of those, India managed to win 110 matches, with a win percentage of 59.52 under Dhoni's captaincy.
Kohli-Rohit era
Two of the greatest captains of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have put up exceptional shows as skippers of the Indian team. Although unable to win an ICC Trophy, Virat Kohli boasts of the highest win percentage among Indian ODI captains with more than 50 matches under their belt. Captaining India in 95 matches, Kohli has a win tally of 65, thus making for an effective win percentage of 70.43.
Rohit Sharma first captained India in Kohli's absence in the year 2017 and managed to win 42 out of the total 56 ODIs that the team has played in his captaincy. Rohit Sharma failed to lift the coveted World Cup for the third time in 2023.
Most Runs in India vs Pakistan Matches in Asia Cup (ODI+T20I)
Before the much awaited clash begin, let's have a look at the batters with most runs in India vs Pakistan matches in Asia Cup in both ODI and T20I formats.
India will lock horns with Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday. The excitement surrounding this match is at a different level in both countries. Looking at the tournament record, both teams have played 21 matches against each other. Out of these, India have won 12 while Pakistan have claimed 6 games. However, in the last 10 years, the rivalry has become one-sided, where Pakistan managed to win only once in seven showdowns.
So, before the much awaited clash begin, let's have a look at the batters with most runs in India vs Pakistan matches in Asia Cup in both ODI and T20I formats.
The former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez played three matches against India in Asia Cup and scored 184 runs at an average of 61.33 and a strike rate of 78.63. He smashed a fifty and a century each as well.
Hafeez's highest score of 105 during Asia Cup 2012, stitched a record 224-run opening partnership with Nasir Jamshed. The opening stand is Pakistan’s highest against India eclipsing Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail’s opening stand of 144 in Singapore, back in 1996.
4. Younis Khan | 238 Runs
The former Pakistani skipper was an elegant batter with a prolific run-scoring record. He was known for his stylish stroke play and was a key performer for Pakistan against India. In 4 matches against India, Younis scored 228 runs at an average of 79.33 with a couple of half-centuries and a hundred.
His highest score of 123* came during 2008 Asia Cup, played at National Stadium in Karachi, helped Pakistan chased down the target of 309 runs for the loss of just 2 wickets in 45.3 overs.
3. Shoaib Malik | 432 Runs
The former Pakistan all-rounder is one of the best cricketers the country has produced in the modern era. Shoaib Malik was Pakistan's crisis man as he bailed the team out of danger several times, be it with the bat or ball. While he was dangerous against every opponent, the lanky all-rounder was at his absolute best against India.
Shoaib Malik is the only one Pakistani batsman who has scored 400+ runs against India in Asia Cup. He has scored 432 runs in 6 matches at an average of 86.30 and a strike rate of 93.70, including two centuries and one half-century. Malik's highest score of 143 came during the 2004 Asia Cup. He smashed 18 boundaries and one six during his 127-ball stay in the middle. His knock also helped the Men in Green secure a 59-run victory.
2. Rohit Sharma | 474 Runs
Joining his teammate Kohli on this list is the Indian opener, Rohit Sharma. Rohit has been a prolific scorer in limited-overs cricket, and in Asia Cup T20 matches, he has accumulated 474 runs in 12 matches against Pakistan at an average of 47.40 and a strike rate of 94.42.
Rohit has also registered five half-centuries and one century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. His highest score of 111* off 119 was registered during the 2018 Asia Cup edition in a game in Dubai.
India's star batsman Virat Kohli is the top run-scorer against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. He has scored 476 runs in just 8 matches at an average of 68. This includes two centuries and one half century. Virat also scored a century against Pakistan in the previous match of the Asia Cup 2023. He had also led India to victory with an innings of 183 runs in 2012.
Highlighting his prowess, the most iconic of these innings is his memorable 183 in 2012, a record-setting performance that still stands as the highest individual score in the Asia Cup.
Indians to hit three consecutive fifties in a T20I series
Abhishek Sharma, with his fifty against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2025, became the fourth Indian to hit three consecutive fifties in a T20I series or tournament.
Abhishek Sharma, with his 61 from 31 balls in the last Super Four match of Asia Cup 2025, has now become only the fourth Indian batter to hit three consecutive fifties in a T20I series or tournament. Here are the other players to have that achievement in their careers.
#1 Virat Kohli
Image | Getty
A list of batting achievements is simply incomplete without Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli was the first Indian batter to smash three consecutive fifties in a T20I series.
The series was against Australia, the host country in 2016. The then-captain scored 90* runs in 55 balls, 59* runs in 33 balls, and ended the series with 50 runs in 36 balls. No wonder Virat was awarded the Player of the Series award.
In fact, this series is very special and important for the team as India whitewashed a team in a T20I series for the first time.
Shreyas Iyer included himself in this record after 6 years. In the 2022 T20I series against Sri Lanka, Iyer thrashed three consecutive fifties and won the "Player of the Series" award.
He was dropped from the Playing XI of the first 2 T20Is against the West Indies. Getting the opportunity this time, he played spectacular knocks in all the matches.
Iyer started the series with 57* runs in 28 balls, followed by 74* runs in 44 balls, and finished with 73* runs in 45 balls. The men in blue whitewashed this series as well.
KL Rahul became the third and the first Indian to do it in an ICC event.
The dynamic right-handed batter started with a 69 against Afghanistan, then followed it up with 50 against Scotland and then achieved the record with an unbeaten 54 against Namibia during the ICC World T20 2021 in Dubai.
Rahul achieved the feat while playing as an opener, which also put him into a different category altogether.
#4 Abhishek Sharma
Image | BCCI on X
Abhishek Sharma, the current ICC No.1 T20I batter, equalled KL Rahul's record as he became the second Indian opener to hit three consecutive fifties in a T20I series. Abhishek also became the fourth Indian overall to achieve the feat.
Abhishek Sharma brings up yet another 5️⃣0️⃣, off 22 balls 👏
During the Asia Cup 2025, Abhishek first scored a fiery 74 from 39 balls against Pakistan and then hit another quick 75 from 37 balls against Bangladesh, and he then created the record with a 61 from 31 balls against Sri Lanka in the Super Four.
Note: The article was first written by Shreya Ghosh in 2022 and then updated by Barnali Debnath in 2025.
From Easwaran to Manoj: 12 Indian players who scored most FC runs without playing tests for India
From Abhimanyu Easwaran, Manish Pandey, to Manoj Tiwary, here are the 12 Indian players who scored the most first-class runs without playing tests for India.
Getting an Indian team call-up for any cricketer in India is a lot more difficult than debuting for another country. Because the game of bat and ball is so very popular in the sub-continent, almost everyone who instantly loves the sport wants to play for the Indian national team. Over the years, there have been many such instances where even the years of strenuous grind in first-class cricket have still not been enough for certain players to make their mark in the national team.
In this article, we will take a look at those 12 Indian players who scored the most first-class runs without playing tests for India.
Indian players who scored the most FC runs without playing tests for India
1. Amol Muzumdar | 11167 runs
Image | HT via Getty Images
Probably the unluckiest Indian ever to not play a test match for India. Amol Muzumdar, the domestic stalwart, scored 11,167 first-class runs while playing for Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and India-A teams.
The right-handed batter has played 171 first-class matches in his career. He was the number three batter for Shardashram English school when Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli had their world-record 664-run partnership.
Due to great Indian batting lineup during his era, the Mumbai batter never got to play for India.
2. Manoj Tiwary | 10195 Runs
Tiwary after a milestone during a Ranji Trophy game. Image | Sportz Point
Although Bengal-born player Manoj Tiwary had a great first-class record, he never played Tests for India. Tiwary was a key figure for Bengal, scoring 10,195 runs in 148 matches, with a top score of 303*.
He even returned from retirement to captain Bengal in the 2024 Ranji Trophy, finishing his career in a big win over Bihar.
Manoj featured for India in 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is for India. But he was not given a chance to represent India in tests.
3. Devendra Bundela | 10004 Runs
Image | The Hindu
Devendra Bundela, the most capped cricketer in the history of the Ranji Trophy, had a phenomenal 23-season career in first-class cricket. Since making his first-class debut in 1995-96, Bundela emerged as the backbone of Madhya Pradesh’s batting. He finished with 10,004 runs in first-class cricket and 58 wickets in the bag in 2017.
Though Bundela couldn’t make it to India’s squad, the closest he came to earning an India call-up was when he toured the West Indies with the India A squad and was selected for the Board President’s XI against the touring New Zealanders in 1999.
4. Paras Dogra | 9996 Runs
Image | sportstiger
Paras Dogra etched his name into the history books as he became the highest run-getter in the all-time list in the Ranji Trophy.
Dogra had previously played for India ‘A’ and represented his home state, Himachal Pradesh, before shifting to Pondicherry for the 2018-19 to 2023-24 seasons. The right-handed batter has accumulated an impressive 9,996 runs in 143 first-class matches.
Yashpal Singh has played for Services in domestic cricket, where he boasted an average of over 60. He has been a prolific run-getter in the one-day format as well. He made his first-class debut against Delhi in 2001/02 and made two half-centuries against a strong bowling line-up of the opposition.
In his next match, he scored a double hundred, which included 10 sixes. Yashpal finished with 9777 first-class runs to his name while playing 134 matches.
Yashpal was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first few seasons of the IPL, but was later signed by the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011.
6. Faiz Fazal | 9184 Runs
Faiz Fazal was one of the most highly talented Indian cricketers to not get enough chances in the side. His only appearance at the highest level was against Zimbabwe in 2016. In the only ODI he played, Fazal scored an unbeaten 55*(61) and impressed everyone. Unfortunately, he never played for India again due to age not being on his side and a lack of backing.
Fazal played 138 matches in First-Class cricket and scored 9,184 runs at an average of 41.00. Additionally, he was a useful part-time bowler and claimed 23 and 7 wickets in First-Class and List A cricket, respectively.
Panchal's cricket career spans an impressive 127 First-Class matches, during which he accumulated 8,856 runs with an average of 45.18, including 29 centuries and 34 fifties.
Panchal’s red-ball exploits earned him a place in the India A side, which he captained in several matches. He received a couple of Test call-ups, coming closest to a debut during India's 2021-22 South Africa tour when he was named a replacement for the injured Rohit Sharma.
The other call-up was when he was announced as one of the back-up openers alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran in the 2021 home series against England. However, Panchal never got picked in the India XI.
Ankit Bawne has had an intriguing career. He made his first-class debut at 15, in 2007-08, and established himself as a regular in the Maharashtra side in three years. Since 2010-11, he has never averaged less than 45 in a Ranji Trophy season. Bawne has 8289 runs in 123 first-class matches.
Ankit Bawne also featured in India A‘s lineup during the recently concluded tour of England. Although he wasn’t able to put together big knocks.
9. Saurabh Tiwary | 8076 Runs
Image | Getty
Saurabh Tiwary's legacy in Jharkhand cricket is nothing short of legendary. With an impressive tally of 8076 first-class runs, 4050 List A runs, and 3454 T20 runs, he left behind a rich cricketing legacy that will be cherished for years to come.
Talking about his international career, the southpaw collected 49 runs in the three ODIs that he played for the country in 2010. But he never played test cricket for India.
10. Manish Pandey | 7823 Runs
Image | PTI
In one night, Manish Pandey went from being Karnataka’s next big Ranji hope to entering the record books. Life after that hasn’t been exactly smooth for the right-hander as he witnessed a mixed run of form in the domestic circuit.
Pandey smashed 7823 runs in 113 first-class matches. Pandey had a heartbreaking end to the 2009-10 season, when he almost took Karnataka to victory over Mumbai in the finals of the Ranji Trophy. However, his excellent 144 in the fourth innings was not enough as Karnataka fell short by 6 runs.
Having performed well in India’s tour of Zimbabwe proved that he has the potential to succeed at the highest level. He was picked in the Board President’s XI to play against South Africa in early 2010, and scored a pleasing 43, but fell when he looked good for more.
Despite being one of the most consistent performers in domestic cricket, Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran has been constantly rejected from Team India’s Test squad. The former India A captain, who has 27 centuries to his name in first-class cricket, has carried drinks for the national team on multiple occasions but is yet to make his long-awaited international debut.
Easwaran’s domestic numbers highlight his consistency. In 104 first-class matches, he has scored 7,885 runs at an impressive average of 48.67, with 27 centuries and 31 fifties.
In List A cricket, he has 3,857 runs from 89 matches at an average of 47.03, including nine centuries and 23 half-centuries. Yet, despite these staggering statistics, the wait for his India debut continues.
A middle-order batter, Mithun Manhas, belonged to a generation when Indian cricket was dominated by Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman. Despite being one of the consistent performers for Delhi in his long domestic career, Manhas couldn’t break into the Indian team, often proving that he was one of the many cricketers born in the wrong era.
Manhas has played 124 First-Class matches and scored 7691 runs. He also featured in the IPL for teams like the Delhi Daredevils, the Pune Warriors, and the Chennai Super Kings.
13. Sheldon Jackson | 7283 Runs
Sheldon Jackson had a successful domestic career. He was an integral part of Saurashtra winning the Ranji Trophy twice, in 2019/20 and 2022/23. He also won the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over tournament twice, once as a rookie in 2007/08 and then as a senior pro in the 2022/23 season. He was Saurashtra’s leading run-getter in the 2019/20 Ranji triumph.
The middle-order batter has hung up his boots after scoring 7283 runs in 106 First Class matches at an average of 45.80, including 21 centuries and 39 fifties.
ICC Rankings: Players who achieved No.1 rankings in all format
Only a few players who have achieved the No.1 position in the ICC rankings in all three formats. Let's have a look at those players who achieved No.1 ICC rankings in all formats.
In the long history of cricket, there have been only a few players who have achieved the No.1 position in the ICC rankings in all three formats - Test, ODI, and T20I. Looking at their stats and numbers it won’t be a difficult task to rank these players based on their performances and their abilities to turn the match around with their match-winning performance.
Let's have a look at those players who achieved No.1 ICC rankings in all formats.
Ricky Ponting became the first player to achieve number one ranking in each format. He scored 98 runs in the first ever T20I match played between Australia and New Zealand in Auckland in February 2005 and achieved the number one ranking in the format. Although he couldn't remain at the top for long.
Apart from that, Ponting has been crowned as number one batter in the ODI format for three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007, Ponting also achieved the number ranking in Tests for the first time in 2003.
2. Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden is ranked among the most explosive opening batters in the world. He is also one of the few players to rank number one in all three formats of the game although not at the same time. The southpaw was the leading run-scorer of both the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup in 2007 with 659 runs and 265 runs to his name respectively.
Hayden has 30 Test centuries to his name along with ten ODI hundreds. Apart from that, in his short T20I career, Hayden has good numbers with 308 runs to his name from nine innings at an average of 51.33 with four half-centuries.
3. Virat Kohli
Star cricketer Virat Kohli was first player from India to get the highest ICC ranking in every format of the game. Kohli had his best years as an international cricketer in the decade of 2010s. He first achieved the number one ranking in the ODI format in November 2013. After that, he went on to rule the 50-over format and remained as number 1 ODI batter in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively.
Apart from the ODIs, Virat Kohli won player of the tournament in the 2014 T20 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup respectively and also finished as number one batter in the shorter format in both the years. Talking about the Test format, Kohli was crowned as number one batter in the longest format in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
4. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is considered as once in a generation player and has achieved several milestones in his nine-year international career so far. Making his international debut in January 2016, Bumrah achieved the number spot in ICC T20I bowlers’ ranking in January 2018 for a short period of time.
After the T20Is, Bumrah also became the nightmare for the batters in the ODI format and was crowned as number one ODI bowler by the ICC rankings in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Bumrah was also crowned as number 1 Test bowler by the ICC ranking in 2023 and 2024 respectively and is still holding the spot in the format as of 2025.
The former Bangladesh ODI captain is one of the greatest cricketers to emerge from his nation. Shakib al Hasan is the leading run scorer for his side in T20Is with 2382 runs from 116 innings. The left-arm spinner is also the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in all three formats having 233 wickets in Tests, 317 wickets in ODIs and 140 scalps in T20Is.
He further has the third most runs for his nation in both ODIs (7570) and Tests (4454) stamping his authority as a true all-rounder. Notably, the southpaw is the second player to rank number one in all three formats at the same time as he took the top spot in the all-rounder rankings across formats in June 2015.
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