Quick Answer: Virat Kohli is among the Top 10 Highest Run Scorers in IPL History with 9,336 runs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He is the only batter to pass 9,000 IPL runs and holds the record for most IPL centuries, with nine. Rohit Sharma follows with 7,329 runs, while Shikhar Dhawan ranks third with 6,769.
A memorable innings can make a player an overnight favourite. Staying near the top of the IPL run charts takes something else: years of scoring against different attacks, on changing pitches and under relentless pressure.
The Top 10 Highest Run Scorers in IPL History include opening batters, middle-order specialists and finishers. Their totals tell us who has scored the most, but their individual stories explain why fans remember them.
Here is the updated leaderboard after IPL 2026, followed by player profiles, standout batting records and answers to common questions.
Top 10 Highest Run Scorers in IPL History
| Rank | Player | Runs | Matches | IPL Teams |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 9,336 | 283 | RCB |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | 7,329 | 281 | Deccan Chargers, MI |
| 3 | Shikhar Dhawan | 6,769 | 222 | DC, SRH, MI, PBKS, Deccan Chargers |
| 4 | David Warner | 6,565 | 184 | DC, SRH |
| 5 | KL Rahul | 5,815 | 159 | RCB, SRH, PBKS, LSG, DC |
| 6 | Suresh Raina | 5,528 | 205 | CSK, Gujarat Lions |
| 7 | MS Dhoni | 5,439 | 278 | CSK, Rising Pune Supergiant |
| 8 | Ajinkya Rahane | 5,367 | 212 | RR, MI, DC, RPS, CSK, KKR |
| 9 | Sanju Samson | 5,181 | 191 | RR, DC, CSK |
| 10 | AB de Villiers | 5,162 | 184 | DC, RCB |
Data reflects the completed IPL 2026 season, as reported by Olympics. The table uses matches, not batting innings; a player can appear in a match without getting an opportunity to bat.
These are career totals across all represented franchises. Changing teams does not reset a batter’s tally, and the list ranks players by runs rather than average or strike rate.
Who Leads IPL Run Scoring?
Virat Kohli leads the top 10 highest run scorers in IPL history with 9,336 runs. Every one of those runs has come for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise he has represented since the tournament began in 2008.
That one-team career makes his record distinctive. While several names on the leaderboard built their totals across multiple franchises, Kohli’s IPL story has remained tied to RCB.
His 2016 campaign remains the benchmark for a single season. Kohli scored 973 runs in 16 innings at an average above 80, setting a record that still stands after IPL 2026.
Virat Kohli’s key IPL batting records:
- Most career runs: 9,336.
- First and only batter beyond 9,000 runs.
- Most centuries: nine.
- Most runs in one season: 973 in 2016.
- Most fours: 844.
For readers searching for “Virat Kohli IPL runs,” the distinction is simple: 9,336 is his career total, while 973 is his highest tally in an individual season.
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Player-by-Player Breakdown
- Virat Kohli: 9,336 Runs
Kohli’s place at number one rests on sustained scoring, not just one exceptional year. His record combines the biggest career tally with the highest single-season total and the most centuries. For RCB supporters, those numbers also trace a batting career spent entirely with their franchise.
- Rohit Sharma: 7,329 Runs
Rohit occupies second place after representing Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians. A six-time IPL winner, he also ranks second among the competition’s six-hitters, with more than 320 maximums. His career offers a reminder that substantial run totals and trophy-winning contributions can go hand in hand.
- Shikhar Dhawan: 6,769 Runs
Dhawan’s runs came across five franchises, placing him third on the IPL top run-scorers list. His 6,769 runs in 222 matches underline the scale of his contribution. Team colours changed throughout his career, but his accumulated runs kept him among the tournament’s leading batters.
- David Warner: 6,565 Runs
Warner is the highest overseas run scorer in IPL history. His contributions for Delhi and Hyderabad brought him 6,565 runs, while his batting and captaincy helped Sunrisers Hyderabad win the 2016 title. He remains the leading international name on this otherwise largely Indian leaderboard.
- KL Rahul: 5,815 Runs
Rahul sits fifth with 5,815 runs in 159 matches. His career has taken him through RCB, SRH, Punjab, Lucknow and Delhi. Olympics.com identifies him alongside Dhoni as a wicketkeeper-batter whose consistency and longevity stand out, a useful correction to the idea that this list contains only two wicketkeepers.
- Suresh Raina: 5,528 Runs
Raina holds a milestone that even Kohli cannot claim: he was the first player to reach 5,000 IPL runs, doing so in 2019. He briefly led the career run charts before Kohli moved ahead that same season. His total spans appearances for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions.
- MS Dhoni: 5,439 Runs
Dhoni’s position needs the context of his finishing role. He has 100 unbeaten innings, the highest number among these ten batters, and led CSK to five IPL titles. His career illustrates why total runs alone cannot capture everything a batter contributes, especially when many innings end with him still at the crease.
- Ajinkya Rahane: 5,367 Runs
Rahane has represented six IPL franchises and accumulated 5,367 runs in 212 matches. His route into the top ten differs from Kohli’s one-team journey. It shows how a career spread across several squads can still produce a substantial place in the tournament’s batting history.
- Sanju Samson: 5,181 Runs
Samson ranks ninth with 5,181 runs from 191 matches. His career total includes appearances for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. Passing 5,000 runs places him in a select group, although the gap between ninth and tenth remains relatively small.
- AB de Villiers: 5,162 Runs
De Villiers completes the list, but his scoring speed sets him apart. His career strike rate of 151.68 is the highest among players with more than 5,000 IPL runs. Most of his runs came for RCB, where his contribution was about both the volume of runs and how quickly he scored them.
Highest Single-Season Run Totals
Career records reward sustained performance. Single-season records capture a batter’s most productive campaign.
| Player | Season | Runs |
| Virat Kohli | 2016 | 973 |
| Shubman Gill | 2023 | 890 |
| Jos Buttler | 2022 | 863 |
| David Warner | 2016 | 848 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 2026 | 776 |
These are the five highest single-season IPL run totals through 31 May 2026.
Sooryavanshi won the 2026 Orange Cap with 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals. That outstanding season placed him fifth on this particular record list, but a single-season award is different from a top-ten career ranking.
FAQs: Most Runs in IPL
Who leads the top 10 highest run scorers in IPL history?
Virat Kohli leads with 9,336 runs, all scored for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Who is the highest overseas run scorer?
David Warner holds the overseas record with 6,565 runs for Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Who has scored the most IPL centuries?
Virat Kohli holds the record with nine IPL hundreds.
Who scored the most runs in one season?
Virat Kohli scored 973 runs in IPL 2016, the highest single-season total.
Who first reached 5,000 IPL runs?
Suresh Raina became the first batter to reach the milestone in 2019.
Who won the IPL 2026 Orange Cap?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won it with 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals.
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