10 players who played IPL from the inaugural season and are all set for IPL 2022

    The Indian Premier League started 15 years back, it was a new and upcoming short format and the dimension of cricket was very different. It has evolved a lot since then.

    Vintage M S Dhoni Image credit: pia.images.co.uk Vintage M S Dhoni

    All the players that used to play 15 years ago are the heroes for the current generation. The majority of them have retired from cricket now. 15 years ago. The Indian Premier League being such a big limelight, has seen many legends in tournament playing, from Sachin Tendulkar to Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting to Sourav Ganguly. Kids in their 20s today have seen them in commentary or as legends only, but these were also playing in the IPL captaining for their respective teams a few years ago.

    15 years and still this Indian Premier League feels like it's just getting started. Many players in this 15th edition of the Indian Premier League have played each season of the Indian Premier League, and have seen this league unfold into the biggest cricket league on the planet. Here is the list of 10 Indian players who have played every season of the Indian Premier League and are all set for the next. 

    MS Dhoni (220 matches)

    It will not be surprising to find MS Dhoni's name in almost all the record-setting lists. Chennai Super Kings bought him in 2018 mega-auctions as the most expensive buy. He is the only player for which every franchise got into a bidding fight. He was the franchise's second player to be retained for INR 12 crore for IPL 2022. The World Cup-winning captain has won the IPL title four times and made his team reach the playoffs for the most number of times in the league. He has played the most number of matches in IPL as captain. He remained part of CSK ever since the beginning; however, for 2 years played for Rising Pune Super Giants when CSK suffered a ban due to betting controversies. However, this season we will see MS Dhoni as the player and not the captain as he decided to pass on the baton to Ravindra Jadeja for captaincy.

    Rohit Sharma (213 matches)

    Rohit Sharma, like MS Dhoni, has many records set with him. He debuted in IPL with the Deccan Charges and won a season with them. In 2011, Mumbai Indians bought the player, and since then, he has become the captain to lead the franchise to be champions for the most number of times. He has won five trophies as captain and six as a player, making it the most challenging record to breach. The franchise retained him for INR 16 crore for IPL 2022.

    Dinesh Karthik (213 matches)

    Arguably the most experienced keeper-captain in India after MS Dhoni, and a perfect fit for the finisher role. Over his IPL career, he has played for 6 franchises, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders. He was also the Captain of Kolkata Knight Riders from 2018 to 2022. This year, he is set to return to RCB for INR 5.50 crore as their wicket-keeper batsman.

    Virat Kohli (207 matches)

    Virat Kohli is the only player who has played for the same franchise ever since its inception and continues to do so in the Indian Premier League 2022. When bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008, he was only a promising young star who just led the U-19 Indian team to victory. Since then, he never became part of the auction as was always retained by management. However, of the 14 editions played, the player is yet to lift the IPL trophy for his franchise. In the previous season, he announced to quit his job as the captain but will continue to be a part of the same team. He was retained by the franchise for INR 15 crore for this season. New captain Faf du Plessis will lead RCB this year.

    Ravindra Jadeja (200 matches)

    Ravindra Jadeja is currently in the prime of his career with his cricket.  and was recently handed over the captaincy of his team Chennai Super Kings by MS Dhoni. He started his IPL career with Rajasthan Royals when he was nicknamed "rock star" by Shane Warne in the 2008 season. He played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 and was bought by CSK in 2012. However, he played for Gujarat Lions when CSK suffered a ban for two years. Later was retained by Chennai Super Kings and is now all set to lead the four-time IPL champion Chennai Super Kings.

    Robin Uthappa (193 matches)

    One of the veterans of the Indian Premier league who got his debut in IPL with the Mumbai Indians after his T20 World Cup performance. Since then, he has played for six franchises: Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had his best season with KKR in 2014, when he became the Orange Cap Holder of the season. However, he was released due to his average performance in different seasons. In 2022, he will be seen playing for Chennai Super Kings as he was brought back by the franchise for INR 2 crore after not being retained.

    Shikhar Dhawan (192 matches)

    Picked up by Delhi Daredevils in 2008, he is strangely the only left-hander batter to have played all the seasons. He has played for several franchises like Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and was bought by Punjab Kings in mega-auctions for INR 8.25 crore after being released by Delhi Capitals. In 192 matches played, he has accumulated over 5784 runs with an average of 34.84 runs. He will surely be one of the key players to watch for the Punjab Kings this season.

    Manish Pandey (154 matches)

    The first-ever Indian player to hit a century in the Indian Premier League. The U-19 star hit unbeaten 114 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009. He too played for five franchises Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad. His best performance came in 2014 with KKR. He played a pivotal role in KKR to aid them in lifting the trophy for the second time. After being a key player for SRH from 2018-to 2021, the batter is set to play for Lucknow Super Giants for INR 4.6 crore.

    Ajinkya Rahane (151 matches)

    Starting his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians, he became an the Indian premier league sensation with Rajasthan Royals. One of the outstanding records wearing the Rajasthan Royals jersey came when he went to hit six-fours in an over bowled by Chris Gayle. He played for Delhi Capitals after that till 2021. Ajinkya Rahane has played for four franchises, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants. And is all set to represent the sixth one in this edition, Kolkata Knight Riders, as the franchise for INR 1 crore bagged him.

    Wriddhiman Saha (133 matches)

    Scouted by KKR in the first season, he's considered to be one of the best wicket-keepers in Test format. Despite playing from the inaugural edition of IPL, he was always overshadowed by other players. He has played for Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and got into the limelight for his batting skills when he scored his ton in IPL for Kings XI Punjab in 2014. After playing for SRH in the previous season, he will be returning to one of the previously played franchises, CSK, for INR 1.90 crore. CSK roping in a wicket-keeper batter, especially when they already have MS Dhoni for the role, makes it interesting to see what role he plays in the team.