Suresh Raina

This exciting Indian middle order batsman had been on the international scene for quite a while before IPL began. But it was the IPL that helped him realize his full potential and brought forward the player that Raina is today. He is the highest run scorer in the IPL history so far and his success has resonated with that of his team (Chennai Super Kings) who have won the title twice. IPL 9 will see him playing for a new franchise-the Gujarat Lions as CSK has been suspended for 2 years.

Rohit Sharma

He has been playing the IPL since its beginning in 2008 but Rohit Sharma started maturing as a player after he was handed the captain’s hat by the Mumbai Indians. That hat did the trick and he led them to the title twice in 2013 and 2015. He is now the second highest run scorer in IPL history after Raina. Not only that, he also has a hat-trick to his name.

Chris Gayle

He did not have the best of the seasons playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders for two seasons. But he unleashed his full potential playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore smashing every side with his thunderous knocks. He holds the record for the highest individual score in IPL so far (175*), most number of ‘Man of the Match’ awards, most no. of centuries in IPL and most no. of sixes. He is also third on the list of highest run scorers in IPL history with 3000+ runs in just 81 innings.

M.S Dhoni

The most successful Indian Captain and at the same time the most successful captain in IPL history; he has led the Chennai super Kings to win the title twice. He holds the records for : most no. of appearances in the finals and semi-finals, most no. of dismissals as a keeper (74 dismissals along with Dinesh Karthik) and 7th highest run scorer in IPL history.

Shane Watson

This Hard hitting Aussie All-rounder was awarded the ‘Player of the Series’ award twice in 2008 and 2013 for his stellar performances with both bat and ball. He played pivotal roles for the Rajasthan Royals in both editions as a result of which they won the title in 2008 under Shane Warne’s Leadership. He has a hat-trick to his name as well against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. He also scored a century against KKR last year to push his team to a semi-final berth.