Virat Kohli in IPL 2016 (Source: AFP)
Finishing an IPL season as the highest run-scorer is one of the marquee milestones in a batter’s career in this prestigious league. Since the inaugural edition, there have been the batters who finished as the leading run-scorers in the different editions.
It includes both the one-season wonders and the ones who have been consistently finishing at least in the top five run-scorers in a single season. Therefore, here, we’ll have a look at the 5 batters with the most runs in a single edition.
5 Batters with most runs in an IPL season
5. B Sai Sudharsan (GT) - 759 runs in IPL 2025
Last year in the 2025 season, young GT opener Sai Sudharsan finished his campaign as the most successful batter of the tournament. He ended up being the leading run-scorer, with 759 runs in 15 innings at an amazing batting average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17.
Sudharsan also smashed a century and six half-centuries in the tournament’s 18th edition. With 759 runs to his credit in the 2025 edition, Sudharsan ranks fifth in the list of batters with the most runs in a single season.
4. David Warner (SRH) - 848 runs in IPL 2016
The 2016 edition of the tournament was a season to remember for the former Aussie batting great, David Warner. He led SRH to win their maiden title, defeating Virat Kohli’s RCB in the final by a narrow margin of just 18 runs.
Apart from leading his side to title glory, it was also a season to cherish for David Warner, the batter. He ended up as the second leading run-scorer in the tournament.
The blistering southpaw scored 848 runs in 17 innings at an average of 60.57, including nine half-centuries. It also included his match-winning half-century in the summit clash against RCB.
3. Jos Buttler (RR) - 863 runs in IPL 2022
Former RR opener Jos Buttler enjoyed an unforgettable run of form in the 2022 edition. It happened to be the best-ever edition of his entire IPL career. Buttler scored 863 runs in 17 innings, at an average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 149.05, hitting four centuries and as many half-centuries.
He ended up being the highest run-scorer of the tournament. However, he couldn’t finish the tournament on the winning side as the Rajasthan Royals ended as the runners-up, losing to the debutants, the Gujarat Titans, in the final.
2. Shubman Gill (GT) - 890 runs in IPL 2023
The star Gujarat Titans batter, Shubman Gill, was the top performer with the bat in the 2023 edition, when his side reached the second consecutive final after winning the title in 2022. He played the initial two seasons in the capacity of a batter before being named captain from the 2024 season onwards.
He was the highest run-scorer in the tournament's 16th edition, scoring 890 runs in 17 innings at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80. He also smashed three centuries and four half-centuries, playing a central role in taking GT to the final.
Unfortunately, it happened to be another season when the orange cap-winning batter didn’t finish as IPL champion, as GT lost to CSK in the thrilling title clash.
1. Virat Kohli (RCB) - 973 runs in IPL 2016
The ninth edition of the tournament, played in 2016, brought Virat Kohli everything but an IPL title. The RCB batting legend made history with the bat, scoring the highest number of runs by a batter in a single edition.
Kohli scored 973 runs in 16 innings at an unbelievable average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03, hitting four centuries and seven half-centuries. He made just 27 runs of a golden figure of 1000 runs in a single edition.
Out of his 16 batting appearances in this season, Kohli scored 50+ scores or over in 11 innings, the most by any batter in a single edition. But in what could be the biggest disappointment for him both as a batter and captain, RCB lost to SRH in the final by just eight runs, falling inches short of the title glory.
