MS Dhoni is on the cusp of completing 5000 runs in IPL© BCCI/Sportzpics
One of the greatest cricketers the game has produced, MS Dhoni is all set to achieve a new milestone as the Chennai Super Kings take on defending champions Gujarat Titans on the first day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Dhoni, who has featured in every single IPL since since the T20 league’s inception in 2008, is closing in on a huge milestone that would see him become only the 7th player in the tournament’s history to score 5000 or more runs.
Dhoni, at present, has 4978 runs to his name in the T20 league, having represented two franchises — Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants. If he scores 22 more runs in the IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans, he will cross the 5000-run mark in the franchise league.
The list is led by Royal Challengers Bangalore stalwart Virat Kohli who has 6624 runs to his name in 223 matches. He is followed by Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, and AB de Villiers.
Top scoring batters in IPL history:
| Rank | Player | Matches | Highest | Average | Strike rate | 100s | 50s | Runs |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 223 | 113 | 36.20 | 129.15 | 5 | 44 | 6624 |
| 2 | Shikhar Dhawan | 206 | 106* | 35.08 | 126.35 | 2 | 47 | 6244 |
| 3 | David Warner | 162 | 126 | 42.01 | 140.69 | 4 | 54 | 5881 |
| 4 | Rohit Sharma | 227 | 109* | 30.30 | 129.89 | 1 | 40 | 5879 |
| 5 | Suresh Raina | 205 | 100* | 32.52 | 136.76 | 1 | 39 | 5528 |
| 6 | AB de Villiers | 184 | 133* | 39.70 | 151.68 | 3 | 40 | 5162 |
| 7 | MS Dhoni | 234 | 84* | 39.20 | 135.20 | 0 | 24 | 4978 |
| 8 | Chris Gayle | 142 | 175* | 39.72 | 148.96 | 6 | 31 | 4965 |
| 9 | Robin Uthappa | 205 | 88 | 27.51 | 130.35 | 0 | 27 | 4952 |
| 10 | Dinesh Karthik | 229 | 97* | 26.85 | 132.65 | 0 | 19 | 4376 |
There, however, remains a little concern over Dhoni’s fitness ahead of the opener against Gujarat. The wicket-keeper batter is said to be carrying a minor injury, although, the franchise’s CEO doesn’t think that will rule him out of the Gujarat Titans clash.
At the age of 41, Dhoni is understandably not at the peak of his powers. But, he continues to lead the Chennai Super Kings, a franchise that is known to get the best out of its veteran players. Having ‘bulked up’ ahead of the 16th edition of the league, Dhoni is expected to play a huge role for CSK in what could be his last season in the T20 league.
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