Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the most awaited events not only in India but also across the world. The IPL has been instrumental in giving youngsters the right platform to express themselves and get awarded with national call-ups. The mega-event also provides the discarded international cricketers with an opportunity to resurrect their careers.

After a strenuous auction in February, all the franchises are ready with their squads and pondering over all the possible combinations. The nature of T20 is such that the essence of the right balance is crucial to a team’s chances. As many as 60 matches will be played in IPL-10 between the 8 franchises. Since the 10th edition of IPL is just two weeks away, let us look at each franchise’s top batsman in the list below:

<strong>Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127814" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="600" height="443" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127814" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli&#8217;s second IPL century came against RPS. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Viral Kohli broke all the batting records in the last season of IPL. He had no centuries in the T20 format before the start of the tournament and managed to get 4 centuries alone in 2016 finishing with 919 runs in 14 innings at a Bradmanesque average of 91.90, an IPL record. Kohli has been prolific in international cricket for the past 6 years but his T20 numbers have surged in the recent while. He became the first player to reach 4,000 career runs in the history of IPL during his 50-ball 113 against Kings XI Punjab last year. Initially, Kohli struggled to hit the long ball but after training hard at the gym, he has improved his ball-striking ability immensely as he finished with 38 sixes in IPL-9, the most by any participating player.

There hasn’t been any silverware for RCB in the IPL despite them playing in three finals and Kohli would want to change that by putting the runs on the board as well as his leadership. Despite the presence of Gayle and De Villiers, Kohli still is the best batsman of RCB and often puts his hand up in crunch situations.

<strong>Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rohit-Sharma.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127766" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="600" height="417" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127766" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

After a long lay-off due to injury, Rohit Sharma will be raring to get back to top-notch cricket. He has been the mainstay in the batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians for a number of years. Rohit has had success both as an opener as well as a middle order batsman but has largely opened in the last 2 years which arguably is his best batting position.

The Indian dasher is a prolific T20 batsman and is the highest run-getter for Mumbai Indians in all seasons of IPL. He had a fairly decent season last year finishing with 489 runs at an average of 44.45 but failed to get his team qualified for the playoffs.

Though he will be a bit rusty after his injury, Mumbai Indians will be hoping that he gets to his best early in the season. Leading the side has transformed his batting to a different level and this season won’t be any different for the star batsman.

<strong>Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir  </strong>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-62956" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Gautam-gambhir.jpg" alt="Gautam Gambhir" width="600" height="413" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-62956" class="wp-caption-text">Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Fresh from his twin half-centuries in the Inter-Zonal T20 competition, Gautam Gambhir is coming into the tournament on the back of good performances in the domestic competitions. Gambhir has been instrumental in KKR’s success in the IPL over the years as he churns out those runs at the top of the order. With 2847 runs to his credit, Gambhir has been KKR’s most successful batsman ever and has been very consistent in every season.

Every since joining KKR in 2011, Gambhir has led them with distinction helping them in winning 2 IPL titles. He has led from the front and has established a formidable partnership at the top of the order with Robin Uthappa. The southpaw has all the experience and runs behind him to replicate the form he has shown in the past seasons.

<strong>Delhi Daredevils: Sam Billings</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Sam-Billings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65196" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sam-Billings.jpg" alt="Sam Billings Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="419" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65196" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils batsman Sam Billings. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption>

Sam Billings is one of the promising young talents from England. The young wicket keeper batsman might not get a chance to don the wicket keeping gloves but will surely be the batting mainstay of the inexperienced Delhi Daredevils line up. The 25 year old was roped in by the Delhi camp in the previous edition of the IPL.

He made an impactful debut in the tournament and slammed a quick 34-ball 54 runs. He became the first man to score a fifty on IPL debut since Richard Levi&#8217;s fifty in the 2012 edition. Talking about his performances in the shortest format of the game. Billings is rated as one of the T20 specialists and is a regular member of the English T20I side at the moment.

In the 99 T20s that he has played prior to the start of the tournament, he has 1714 runs to his name with 7 fifties to his name. He has a very impressive strike rate of close to 125 with the bat. He is the new age batsman who has a stunning domestic record to his name as well. In a 50 over match at Canterbury in 2015, he had smashed 135 off just 58 balls.

<strong>Kings XI Punjab: Glenn Maxwell</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-18167" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg" alt="Glenn Maxwell" width="600" height="404"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18167" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell KXIP. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Glenn Maxwell recently heralded for scoring his maiden Test century at Ranchi. Maxwell has finally come of age in international cricket and Kings XI will be expecting a lot from him this season. After having a dream run in 2014, he struggled for consistency in the next two seasons. However, Kings XI Punjab has a lot of faith in his abilities as they entrusted Maxwell with the leadership responsibilities ahead of the IPL 10.

As bizarre as it may sound, Maxwell’s recent Test hundred at Ranchi will hold him in good stead for IPL 10. It has given him immense confidence and will help in growing as a cricketer as well. Also, he does not need to get acclimatized to the conditions as he would be in India for more than a month before the start of the IPL. Leading the side will only help him become more responsible as a batsman which again will be good for Punjab.

<strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/David-Warner-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-68518" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-3.jpg" alt="David Warner vs Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="429" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68518" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Warner might be struggling to get runs in the ongoing Test series against India, but he becomes a different player as soon as he puts the colored clothing on. The Aussie opener’s batting was instrumental in SRH’s title win last year as he finished with 658 runs averaging 53.83 and striking at 150. Warner led from the front and was lethal at the top of the order helping his side to a good start almost every game.

Warner has been prolific in the IPL and is ranked 7th in the list of most runs in the history of the IPL. The explosive opener started his career as a T20 specialist before becoming a successful player in all formats of international cricket. His numbers in this format have been sensational as he has amassed a total of 6921 runs playing T20 cricket across the globe.

<strong>Rising Pune Supergiants: Steve Smith</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Steve-Smith.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65056" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="Steve Smith" width="600" height="335" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65056" class="wp-caption-text">Steve Smith. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption>

There was a lot of clamor on Steve Smith’s recent appointment as the skipper of RPS. The uproar was understandable as he was replacing MS Dhoni, who arguably is one of the best captains cricket has ever seen. Smith will now be looking to put everything behind him and do what he does best: score runs. He has been in the form of his life for a couple of years now and will be lethal for RPS’s chances this season as he bats up the order and can set up games for his side.

He has been in good form too and must have already gotten used to the conditions by the time the IPL kick starts. He was one of the only bright shining lights for RPS last year as he finished with 270 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 153.40 which included a glittering century. Captaincy comes naturally to him as he has led the Australian team across formats for some time now. With runs and experience under his belt, Smith has all the right ammunition to be RPS’s leading batsman this season.

<strong>Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-68356" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg" alt="Suresh Raina" width="600" height="394" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68356" class="wp-caption-text">Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Suresh Raina has always been one of India’s best T20 players. He has been prolific in every season of the IPL managing to score more than 370 runs in each season and is second to only Kohli in the tournament’s most runs scorers with 4098 runs.

Out-of-favor in the ODI team at the moment, Raina still walks-in into the T20 side. He recently had a good series with the bat against England where he finished as the highest scorer of the 3-match series for India scoring 104 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 133.

Raina has the experience and the skill to counter the best bowlers in the world and Gujarat Lions would want him to come out all guns blazing this season. He had an outstanding season last year as the skipper of his franchise as Gujarat finished at the top of the table during the group stages. Raina has spent a lot of days out of Team India in the recent past and will keen to prove a point to the selectors. Good showings in the IPL may get him a ticket to the Champions Trophy which is scheduled to be played in England in June.

<p>Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the most awaited events not only in India but also across the world. The IPL has been instrumental in giving youngsters the right platform to express themselves and get awarded with national call-ups. The mega-event also provides the discarded international cricketers with an opportunity to resurrect their careers.</p>
<p>After a strenuous auction in February, all the franchises are ready with their squads and pondering over all the possible combinations. The nature of T20 is such that the essence of the right balance is crucial to a team’s chances. As many as 60 matches will be played in IPL-10 between the 8 franchises. Since the 10th edition of IPL is just two weeks away, let us look at each franchise’s top batsman in the list below:</p>
<h3><strong>Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_127814" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-127814" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-127814" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="600" height="443" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127814" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli’s second IPL century came against RPS. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Viral Kohli broke all the batting records in the last season of IPL. He had no centuries in the T20 format before the start of the tournament and managed to get 4 centuries alone in 2016 finishing with 919 runs in 14 innings at a Bradmanesque average of 91.90, an IPL record. Kohli has been prolific in international cricket for the past 6 years but his T20 numbers have surged in the recent while. He became the first player to reach 4,000 career runs in the history of IPL during his 50-ball 113 against Kings XI Punjab last year. Initially, Kohli struggled to hit the long ball but after training hard at the gym, he has improved his ball-striking ability immensely as he finished with 38 sixes in IPL-9, the most by any participating player.</p>
<p>There hasn’t been any silverware for RCB in the IPL despite them playing in three finals and Kohli would want to change that by putting the runs on the board as well as his leadership. Despite the presence of Gayle and De Villiers, Kohli still is the best batsman of RCB and often puts his hand up in crunch situations.</p>
<h3><strong>Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_127766" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-127766" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rohit-Sharma.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-127766" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="600" height="417" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127766" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>After a long lay-off due to injury, Rohit Sharma will be raring to get back to top-notch cricket. He has been the mainstay in the batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians for a number of years. Rohit has had success both as an opener as well as a middle order batsman but has largely opened in the last 2 years which arguably is his best batting position.</p>
<p>The Indian dasher is a prolific T20 batsman and is the highest run-getter for Mumbai Indians in all seasons of IPL. He had a fairly decent season last year finishing with 489 runs at an average of 44.45 but failed to get his team qualified for the playoffs.</p>
<p>Though he will be a bit rusty after his injury, Mumbai Indians will be hoping that he gets to his best early in the season. Leading the side has transformed his batting to a different level and this season won’t be any different for the star batsman.</p>
<h3><strong>Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir &nbsp;</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_62956" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62956" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-62956" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Gautam-gambhir.jpg" alt="Gautam Gambhir" width="600" height="413" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-62956" class="wp-caption-text">Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Fresh from his twin half-centuries in the Inter-Zonal T20 competition, Gautam Gambhir is coming into the tournament on the back of good performances in the domestic competitions. Gambhir has been instrumental in KKR’s success in the IPL over the years as he churns out those runs at the top of the order. With 2847 runs to his credit, Gambhir has been KKR’s most successful batsman ever and has been very consistent in every season.</p>
<p>Every since joining KKR in 2011, Gambhir has led them with distinction helping them in winning 2 IPL titles. He has led from the front and has established a formidable partnership at the top of the order with Robin Uthappa. The southpaw has all the experience and runs behind him to replicate the form he has shown in the past seasons.</p>
<h3><strong>Delhi Daredevils:&nbsp;Sam Billings</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_65196" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65196" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Sam-Billings.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-65196" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sam-Billings.jpg" alt="Sam Billings Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="419" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65196" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils batsman Sam Billings. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sam Billings is one of the promising young talents from England. The young wicket keeper batsman might not get a chance to don the wicket keeping gloves but will surely be the batting mainstay of the inexperienced Delhi Daredevils line up. The 25 year old was roped in by the Delhi camp in the previous edition of the IPL.</p>
<p>He made an impactful debut in the tournament and slammed a quick 34-ball 54 runs. He became the first man to score a fifty on IPL debut since Richard Levi’s fifty in the 2012 edition. Talking about his performances in the shortest format of the game. Billings is rated as one of the T20 specialists and is a regular member of the English T20I side at the moment.</p>
<p>In the 99 T20s that he has played prior to the start of the tournament, he has 1714 runs to his name with 7 fifties to his name. He has a very impressive strike rate of close to 125 with the bat. He is the new age batsman who has a stunning domestic record to his name as well. In a 50 over match at Canterbury in 2015, he had smashed 135 off just 58 balls.</p>
<p></p>
<h3><strong>Kings XI Punjab: Glenn Maxwell</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_18167" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18167" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-18167" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg" alt="Glenn Maxwell" width="600" height="404" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18167" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell KXIP. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Glenn Maxwell recently heralded for scoring his maiden Test century at Ranchi. Maxwell has finally come of age in international cricket and Kings XI will be expecting a lot from him this season. After having a dream run in 2014, he struggled for consistency in the next two seasons. However, Kings XI Punjab has a lot of faith in his abilities as they entrusted Maxwell with the leadership responsibilities ahead of the IPL 10.</p>
<p>As bizarre as it may sound, Maxwell’s recent Test hundred at Ranchi will hold him in good stead for IPL 10. It has given him immense confidence and will help in growing as a cricketer as well. Also, he does not need to get acclimatized to the conditions as he would be in India for more than a month before the start of the IPL. Leading the side will only help him become more responsible as a batsman which again will be good for Punjab.</p>
<h3><strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_68518" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-68518" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/David-Warner-3.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-68518" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-3.jpg" alt="David Warner vs Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="429" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68518" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Warner might be struggling to get runs in the ongoing Test series against India, but he becomes a different player as soon as he puts the colored clothing on. The Aussie opener’s batting was instrumental in SRH’s title win last year as he finished with 658 runs averaging 53.83 and striking at 150. Warner led from the front and was lethal at the top of the order helping his side to a good start almost every game.</p>
<p>Warner has been prolific in the IPL and is ranked 7th in the list of most runs in the history of the IPL. The explosive opener started his career as a T20 specialist before becoming a successful player in all formats of international cricket. His numbers in this format have been sensational as he has amassed a total of 6921 runs playing T20 cricket across the globe.</p>
<h3><strong>Rising Pune Supergiants: Steve Smith</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_65056" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65056" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Steve-Smith.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-65056" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="Steve Smith" width="600" height="335" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65056" class="wp-caption-text">Steve Smith. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>There was a lot of clamor on Steve Smith’s recent appointment as the skipper of RPS. The uproar was understandable as he was replacing MS Dhoni, who arguably is one of the best captains cricket has ever seen. Smith will now be looking to put everything behind him and do what he does best: score runs. He has been in the form of his life for a couple of years now and will be lethal for RPS’s chances this season as he bats up the order and can set up games for his side.</p>
<p>He has been in good form too and must have already gotten used to the conditions by the time the IPL kick starts. He was one of the only bright shining lights for RPS last year as he finished with 270 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 153.40 which included a glittering century. Captaincy comes naturally to him as he has led the Australian team across formats for some time now. With runs and experience under his belt, Smith has all the right ammunition to be RPS’s leading batsman this season.</p>
<h3><strong>Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_68356" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-68356" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-68356" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg" alt="Suresh Raina" width="600" height="394" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68356" class="wp-caption-text">Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Suresh Raina has always been one of India’s best T20 players. He has been prolific in every season of the IPL managing to score more than 370 runs in each season and is second to only Kohli in the tournament’s most runs scorers with 4098 runs.</p>
<p>Out-of-favor in the ODI team at the moment, Raina still walks-in into the T20 side. He recently had a good series with the bat against England where he finished as the highest scorer of the 3-match series for India scoring 104 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 133.</p>
<p>Raina has the experience and the skill to counter the best bowlers in the world and Gujarat Lions would want him to come out all guns blazing this season. He had an outstanding season last year as the skipper of his franchise as Gujarat finished at the top of the table during the group stages. Raina has spent a lot of days out of Team India in the recent past and will keen to prove a point to the selectors. Good showings in the IPL may get him a ticket to the Champions Trophy which is scheduled to be played in England in June.</p>

<p>Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the most awaited events not only in India but also across the world. The IPL has been instrumental in giving youngsters the right platform to express themselves and get awarded with national call-ups. The mega-event also provides the discarded international cricketers with an opportunity to resurrect their careers.</p>
<p>After a strenuous auction in February, all the franchises are ready with their squads and pondering over all the possible combinations. The nature of T20 is such that the essence of the right balance is crucial to a team’s chances. As many as 60 matches will be played in IPL-10 between the 8 franchises. Since the 10th edition of IPL is just two weeks away, let us look at each franchise’s top batsman in the list below:</p>
<h3><strong>Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_127814" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-127814" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127814" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-108-vs-RPS.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="600" height="443" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127814" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli&#8217;s second IPL century came against RPS. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Viral Kohli broke all the batting records in the last season of IPL. He had no centuries in the T20 format before the start of the tournament and managed to get 4 centuries alone in 2016 finishing with 919 runs in 14 innings at a Bradmanesque average of 91.90, an IPL record. Kohli has been prolific in international cricket for the past 6 years but his T20 numbers have surged in the recent while. He became the first player to reach 4,000 career runs in the history of IPL during his 50-ball 113 against Kings XI Punjab last year. Initially, Kohli struggled to hit the long ball but after training hard at the gym, he has improved his ball-striking ability immensely as he finished with 38 sixes in IPL-9, the most by any participating player.</p>
<p>There hasn’t been any silverware for RCB in the IPL despite them playing in three finals and Kohli would want to change that by putting the runs on the board as well as his leadership. Despite the presence of Gayle and De Villiers, Kohli still is the best batsman of RCB and often puts his hand up in crunch situations.</p>
<h3><strong>Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_127766" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-127766" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/04/Rohit-Sharma.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127766" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="600" height="417" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-127766" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>After a long lay-off due to injury, Rohit Sharma will be raring to get back to top-notch cricket. He has been the mainstay in the batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians for a number of years. Rohit has had success both as an opener as well as a middle order batsman but has largely opened in the last 2 years which arguably is his best batting position.</p>
<p>The Indian dasher is a prolific T20 batsman and is the highest run-getter for Mumbai Indians in all seasons of IPL. He had a fairly decent season last year finishing with 489 runs at an average of 44.45 but failed to get his team qualified for the playoffs.</p>
<p>Though he will be a bit rusty after his injury, Mumbai Indians will be hoping that he gets to his best early in the season. Leading the side has transformed his batting to a different level and this season won’t be any different for the star batsman.</p>
<h3><strong>Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir  </strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_62956" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-62956" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-62956" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Gautam-gambhir.jpg" alt="Gautam Gambhir" width="600" height="413" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-62956" class="wp-caption-text">Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Fresh from his twin half-centuries in the Inter-Zonal T20 competition, Gautam Gambhir is coming into the tournament on the back of good performances in the domestic competitions. Gambhir has been instrumental in KKR’s success in the IPL over the years as he churns out those runs at the top of the order. With 2847 runs to his credit, Gambhir has been KKR’s most successful batsman ever and has been very consistent in every season.</p>
<p>Every since joining KKR in 2011, Gambhir has led them with distinction helping them in winning 2 IPL titles. He has led from the front and has established a formidable partnership at the top of the order with Robin Uthappa. The southpaw has all the experience and runs behind him to replicate the form he has shown in the past seasons.</p>
<h3><strong>Delhi Daredevils: Sam Billings</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_65196" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65196" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Sam-Billings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65196" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sam-Billings.jpg" alt="Sam Billings Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="419" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65196" class="wp-caption-text">Delhi Daredevils batsman Sam Billings. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sam Billings is one of the promising young talents from England. The young wicket keeper batsman might not get a chance to don the wicket keeping gloves but will surely be the batting mainstay of the inexperienced Delhi Daredevils line up. The 25 year old was roped in by the Delhi camp in the previous edition of the IPL.</p>
<p>He made an impactful debut in the tournament and slammed a quick 34-ball 54 runs. He became the first man to score a fifty on IPL debut since Richard Levi&#8217;s fifty in the 2012 edition. Talking about his performances in the shortest format of the game. Billings is rated as one of the T20 specialists and is a regular member of the English T20I side at the moment.</p>
<p>In the 99 T20s that he has played prior to the start of the tournament, he has 1714 runs to his name with 7 fifties to his name. He has a very impressive strike rate of close to 125 with the bat. He is the new age batsman who has a stunning domestic record to his name as well. In a 50 over match at Canterbury in 2015, he had smashed 135 off just 58 balls.</p>
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<h3><strong>Kings XI Punjab: Glenn Maxwell</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_18167" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18167" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/05/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-18167" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-KXIP-IPL-2015-e1491416774210.jpg" alt="Glenn Maxwell" width="600" height="404"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-18167" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell KXIP. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Glenn Maxwell recently heralded for scoring his maiden Test century at Ranchi. Maxwell has finally come of age in international cricket and Kings XI will be expecting a lot from him this season. After having a dream run in 2014, he struggled for consistency in the next two seasons. However, Kings XI Punjab has a lot of faith in his abilities as they entrusted Maxwell with the leadership responsibilities ahead of the IPL 10.</p>
<p>As bizarre as it may sound, Maxwell’s recent Test hundred at Ranchi will hold him in good stead for IPL 10. It has given him immense confidence and will help in growing as a cricketer as well. Also, he does not need to get acclimatized to the conditions as he would be in India for more than a month before the start of the IPL. Leading the side will only help him become more responsible as a batsman which again will be good for Punjab.</p>
<h3><strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_68518" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-68518" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/David-Warner-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-68518" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-3.jpg" alt="David Warner vs Delhi Daredevils" width="600" height="429" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68518" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Warner might be struggling to get runs in the ongoing Test series against India, but he becomes a different player as soon as he puts the colored clothing on. The Aussie opener’s batting was instrumental in SRH’s title win last year as he finished with 658 runs averaging 53.83 and striking at 150. Warner led from the front and was lethal at the top of the order helping his side to a good start almost every game.</p>
<p>Warner has been prolific in the IPL and is ranked 7th in the list of most runs in the history of the IPL. The explosive opener started his career as a T20 specialist before becoming a successful player in all formats of international cricket. His numbers in this format have been sensational as he has amassed a total of 6921 runs playing T20 cricket across the globe.</p>
<h3><strong>Rising Pune Supergiants: Steve Smith</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_65056" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65056" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/04/Steve-Smith.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65056" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Steve-Smith.jpg" alt="Steve Smith" width="600" height="335" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65056" class="wp-caption-text">Steve Smith. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>There was a lot of clamor on Steve Smith’s recent appointment as the skipper of RPS. The uproar was understandable as he was replacing MS Dhoni, who arguably is one of the best captains cricket has ever seen. Smith will now be looking to put everything behind him and do what he does best: score runs. He has been in the form of his life for a couple of years now and will be lethal for RPS’s chances this season as he bats up the order and can set up games for his side.</p>
<p>He has been in good form too and must have already gotten used to the conditions by the time the IPL kick starts. He was one of the only bright shining lights for RPS last year as he finished with 270 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 153.40 which included a glittering century. Captaincy comes naturally to him as he has led the Australian team across formats for some time now. With runs and experience under his belt, Smith has all the right ammunition to be RPS’s leading batsman this season.</p>
<h3><strong>Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_68356" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-68356" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/05/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-68356" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suresh-Raina-1.jpg" alt="Suresh Raina" width="600" height="394" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-68356" class="wp-caption-text">Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Suresh Raina has always been one of India’s best T20 players. He has been prolific in every season of the IPL managing to score more than 370 runs in each season and is second to only Kohli in the tournament’s most runs scorers with 4098 runs.</p>
<p>Out-of-favor in the ODI team at the moment, Raina still walks-in into the T20 side. He recently had a good series with the bat against England where he finished as the highest scorer of the 3-match series for India scoring 104 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 133.</p>
<p>Raina has the experience and the skill to counter the best bowlers in the world and Gujarat Lions would want him to come out all guns blazing this season. He had an outstanding season last year as the skipper of his franchise as Gujarat finished at the top of the table during the group stages. Raina has spent a lot of days out of Team India in the recent past and will keen to prove a point to the selectors. Good showings in the IPL may get him a ticket to the Champions Trophy which is scheduled to be played in England in June.</p>

let us look at each franchise’s top batsman in the list below.

Franchise-wise best batsman in IPL 10

Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the most awaited events not only in India but also across the world. The IPL