Who is God of IPL in 2025?

Cricket is more than just a sport in India; it has one of the biggest fan bases in India and worldwide. Originating in England, the sport got its new definition in India. Cricket is played in three formats: Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. One of the most entertaining formats of the game is the T20 format, in which each team gets to play only 20 overs.

The reason why this format is the most entertaining is that every batter tries to hit boundaries to help the team score quick runs. However, since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, the game of cricket has become a festival for the fans. For the first time, Indian fans saw local stars and overseas legends playing together on the same team.

Players like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Lasith Malinga, Sachin Tendulkar, and many others have graced the league with their presence. Many players have produced some great performances in the league and succeeded in earning a massive fan following. Every fan has their personal favorites when it comes to the team and players as well. But when it comes to the debate of Who is the god of IPL?

It can lead to some serious fan wars. There are many players who have shaped the identity of the league by their brilliance. But who deserves this title? Well, there are three players who have been playing the league since 2008 and are still slaying it. We are talking about the three Indian stalwarts, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. However, we will rank these three gods of IPL using the following ranking factors.

Ranking Factors

Trophies

A true athlete is one who helps the team to go forward and etch their name in the history books. In IPL, there have been many players who have been part of a winning IPL team, but there are only few players who have been part of a winning IPL multiple times. Winning an IPL trophy is the ultimate goal and aim of the league and the franchise owners.

Leading a franchise, especially in the shortest format of the game, and when you have players from different countries with different mindsets, is one of the hardest jobs to do for a captain. So, winning an IPL trophy is one of the most important factors in this debate.

Individual records

Cricket is generally known as the batters’ game, however, things have changed in the past few years, but it is still the same in leagues like IPL, where fans love to see batters playing big knocks and hitting boundaries.

While winning trophies is the ultimate goal, one can’t ignore the fact that individual records are also important in the cash-rich league, as in the end, it only benefits the team. Keeping consistency in each and every season, scoring runs, and shattering records are some of the factors that come into this debate.

1. Rohit Sharma - Hitman with 5 IPL Titles

The current captain of the Indian team in the Test and ODI formats, Rohit Sharma, is undoubtedly the true god of the Indian Premier League. Starting his IPL career with Deccan Chargers, under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist, Rohit took his hand on the IPL trophy for the first time in 2009. He was phenomenal with the bat during his time with the Deccan Chargers in the years 2008, 2009, and 2010. Surprisingly, he also had a hat trick in 2009, which came against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The right-handed batter was moved to MI ahead of the 2011 auction for Rs. 9.2 crores and consistently scored runs in the first two seasons with the franchise.

However, things took a turn when he was appointed as the captain of the Mumbai franchise after a disappointing leadership display by the Australian legend Ricky Ponting. And the move turned out to be a masterstroke as he helped the franchise get its first-ever IPL title in 2013. After that, MI’s management decided to make him the permanent captain of the franchise. Rohit then went on to win the league in the years 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, making MI the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL.

He also became the most successful captain in IPL history until MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won their fifth IPL title in 2023. Apart from the success he got as a captain, Rohit is also the third highest run-scorer of IPL, scoring 6666 runs in 256 innings, including 43 half-centuries and two centuries. It won’t be wrong to say that Rohit is one of the most destructive openers of the cash-rich league.

2. MS Dhoni - The Heart of CSK and Captain Cool

The legend of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, is one of the most successful captains in international cricket. After leading the Indian team to the T20 World Cup title in 2007, Dhoni was bought by Chennai Super Kings in 2008 for Rs. 9.5 crore, and since then, he has become the heartbeat of the franchise. Dhoni has earned a massive fanbase, particularly in Chennai, where people gave him the popular name ‘Thala’. There are many fans in Chennai, who even worship the legendary player.

The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter, known for his calm and composed nature, helped CSK to win five IPL titles in the years 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023. Apart from that, he also led the team to twelve playoffs and ten finals, which any other captain never did.

Ever since the inception of the league in 2008, Dhoni has only played for CSK; however, during the years 2016 and 2017 and when CSK was banned for two years. Dhoni played for Rising Pune Super Giants, but when CSK came back in 2018, he again became part of CSK and helped the team to win the title in the same year.

Apart from his captaincy brilliance, Dhoni is also known for his finishing abilities and individual records. Dhoni is the sixth-highest run-scorer in the league, scoring 5346 runs in 234 innings, including 24 half-centuries. Despite being 43 years old, Dhoni is still playing in the league, looking fit and keeping the wickets for 20 overs. Whichever league and tournaments he has featured in, he ended up being the most successful player, which is enough to say that he is the god of IPL.

3. Virat Kohli - The Run Machine and face of IPL

It won’t be wrong to say that Virat Kohli is one of the most unluckiest players in IPL history. Known for his aggression and hunger for runs, Kohli was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008 after he helped India win the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. Since then, he has been a part of RCB, but the franchise never released him. Kohli played as a middle-order batter for RCB from 2008 to 2012.

He was appointed as the captain of the franchise in 2013 and led the team till 2021, helping the team to qualify for the finals once in 2016, though they lost the final to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and the IPL trophy is still beyond his reach. But it didn’t stop him from making individual records in the league. He is the highest run-scorer in IPL history, scoring over 8000 runs, including 57 half-centuries and 8 centuries, the most by any batter.

He has won the Orange cap twice in his IPL career during the 2016 and 2024 IPL seasons. He has always been consistent in the cash-rich league, and his peak performance came in the year 2016, when he scored 973 runs in just 16 matches, including four centuries in a single IPL campaign. Apart from his performance, he has also helped not just the franchise but the whole league to get a massive fanbase around the world, which is enough to say that he is also one of the Gods of IPL.