The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the most fiercely contested domestic cricket event in the last 13 years. Many legendary players have been a part of the league since 2008. The competition started with eight teams namely the Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings, the Delhi Daredevils, the Kings XI Punjab, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Deccan Chargers, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Rajasthan Royals.
In 2011, the Pune Warriors and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala joined the league. Although they could not achieve much success, the two teams gained immense popularity among the fans. In 2013, the Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the Deccan Chargers, while in 2016, the Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiant replaced the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals for two years. In all, there have been 13 franchises in IPL history.
While none of the batsmen have been able to score a half-century against each of the 13 teams, here’s a look at those four players who have a 50+ scores versus 11 or more teams.
1.Shikhar Dhawan
The latest name to join this list is the Delhi Capitals star Shikhar Dhawan. The left-handed batsman joined this club after a half-century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2. Prior to that, Shikhar had registered a 50+ score against every team except the Pune Warriors and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
One of the reasons why Dhawan could not score a fifty against SRH in the last six years was that the Indian batsman opened the innings for them till the 2018 season. Before IPL 2019, the Orange Army traded him to the Delhi Capitals. It took Dhawan five matches before scoring his first half-century against his ex-team.
2.Gautam Gambhir
Former Delhi Capitals captain Gautam Gambhir will go down as one of the most successful skippers in IPL history. The 2011 World Cup winner played for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi-based franchise in his IPL career. Gambhir achieved the most success at KKR as he guided the team to two IPL trophies.
In his epic IPL career, Gambhir could not score a single century, but he managed to record a 50+ score against 12 teams. The Kochi Tuskers Kerala were the only team that did not allow Gambhir to touch the fifty-runs milestone. The former Indian batsman struggled a lot versus KTK as he scored only 3 runs in two matches.
3.Virat Kohli
Since Virat Kohli has only played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, it is impossible for him to have a half-century against all IPL teams. The RCB captain has recorded 39 fifties in his IPL career. 16 of his 39 half-centuries have come against the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals.
It is noteworthy that just like Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli could not score a 50 against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala. He amassed 50 runs in two games against them, with his highest score being 27*.
4.AB de Villiers
The only overseas player to score a 50 against 11 or more IPL teams is AB de Villiers. The Royal Challengers Bangalore star represented the Delhi Capitals in the first few seasons. Unlike the first three names on this list, de Villiers managed a fifty versus the Kochi Tuskers Kerala team.
The two teams against whom de Villiers has not scored a fifty are the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Deccan Chargers. The former South African captain aggregated 153 runs in 7 innings, with his highest score being 47*. Playing against RCB, de Villiers scored 115 runs in four matches, and his highest score is 45.
