5 Star players who were part of IPL 2008 and will play in 2020

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is now more than a decade old and there has been a shift in the generation of cricketers. Most of the cricketers who started playing this prestigious tournament have already reached the end of their careers. The IPL has never failed to appreciate talent and skills of a player who perform at this level of competitive T20 cricket. The league has always encouraged players in providing them with opportunities to excel and earn a name for themselves. Not many players have been fortunate to convert their chances, while those who do, often end up creating a larger impact on the game. It has been more than 10 years and there are many players from the inaugural season who are still around contributing towards their team’s success. Let’s look at the players who played in 2008 IPL and will play in 2020 season: 1. MS Dhoni Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni during a practice session. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) MS Dhoni was the most expensive player in the IPL 2008 auction as he had gone to the Chennai Super Kings at the price of INR 6 crore. He has captained CSK in every season, barring the two seasons when the franchise were banned from playing in the IPL. During those two seasons, Dhoni represented the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). As CSK’s ban was lifted, they were allowed to retain 5 players. Dhoni was one of the players they retained and without any second thought from the franchise, he was appointed as the captain of the team again. The former Indian skipper is one of the main reasons behind CSK’s success in the IPL. MSD has led CSK to 3 IPL titles and holds the distinction of being the only captain to successfully defend the title. He has led the Super Kings with grace and played a huge role in making CSK one of the teams to beat in the tournament. Dhoni has played 190 IPL matches so far and has scored 4432 runs at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of 137.85. The 39-year old will hope that he can guide Chennai to yet another victorious campaign in the IPL 13. 2. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Virat Kohli was picked by RCB in the U19 players’ draft ahead of the IPL 2008 season. Since being picked, the man has featured in all the 12 seasons of the IPL. As he developed as a player, the franchise gave him captaincy too and he is going to lead RCB once again in IPL 2020. Kohli started leading the side in the year 2013. In the year 2016, he sat atop the leading run-scorers’ list, thereby donning the Orange Cap at the end of the ninth edition of the league. We have seen him come up with the goods time and again for RCB by producing scintillating knocks that take your breath away. Kohli is the all-time highest run-scorer in the IPL as he has racked up 5412 runs in 177 matches at an average of 37.84 and a strike rate of 131.61, numbers which are truly remarkable in the format. 3. Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma. (Photo: IANS) Starting his IPL journey with Deccan Chargers, Rohit Sharma played there from IPL 2008 to IPL 2010 before he was signed by Mumbai Indians (MI). The now 33-year-old Sharma was instrumental in Deccan Chargers winning their 2009 title. He has spent nine seasons at the Mumbai franchise so far and has captained them in seven editions. Rohit, who’s also the skipper at MI, is arguably the most important cog in their wheel. The team in blue and gold is the holder of four Indian Premier League titles, winning in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 respectively. Rohit, is the third-highest run-scorer (4,898 runs in 188 matches) in IPL history. He has one century and 36 half-centuries to his credit. The Hitman has struck 194 sixes and 431 fours in IPL. 4. Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shikhar Dhawan started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils as the franchise was then called for a season, and Mumbai Indians for a couple of seasons before he signed for Deccan Chargers (now Sunrisers Hyderabad) in 2011 and stayed with them for 7 years. Before IPL auction 2019, however, he was traded to Delhi Capitals. He won the 2016 Indian Premier League with Daren Sammy’s SRH, after putting strong batting performances alongside captain David Warner and became the 5th highest run-scorer of the tournament. Dhawan has scored 4578 runs in 159 IPL matches so far, at an average of 33.17 and a strike rate of 124.78 and he will continue to play for the Capitals, captained by Shreyas Iyer, in IPL 2020. 5. Chris Gayle Chris Gayle. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive players in T20 history. Gayle started his career at Kolkata Knight Riders, but after KKR released him ahead of IPL 2011, he went unsold, much to the surprise of everyone. The southpaw was, however, signed by RCB in the middle of the 2011 season as an injury replacement for Dirk Nannes. Thereafter, he played for RCB for seven seasons Gayle never got going consistently in the first three editions of the IPL. However, from the year 2011 onwards, he never looked back. His peak years were between 2011 and 2013, and he won the Orange Cap in 2012 and 2013. Gayle was bought by Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018 auction and he will play for them in 2020 as well. The 40-year old has scored 4484 runs in 125 IPL games at an average of 41.13 and a strike rate of 151.02. He is still extremely relevant in the T20 format and could play a key role for the Mohali-based team in the 2020 IPL, both as a player and a mentor. ~Written by Kevin D’Costa

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5 Star players who were part of IPL 2008 and will play in 2020

There's no dull moment when the below-mentioned players are weaving magic on the field.

4. Shikhar Dhawan

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