Virat Kohli leads the most catches in IPL history list with 119 catches from 283 matches — a record built not through luck but through 19 seasons of elite positioning, sharp reflexes at covers, and a fielding commitment that rivals his batting obsession. The gap between him and second-placed Suresh Raina (109, retired) is already 10 and growing. Here’s the complete all-time top-20 list, the single-season record that still hasn’t been touched, and an honest look at who — if anyone — can overhaul Kohli’s mark.
Quick Answer
Virat Kohli has the most catches in IPL history as a non-wicketkeeper — 119 catches from 283 matches. Among all fielders including wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni leads with ~158 catches. Closest active rival to Kohli: Ravindra Jadeja at ~110. The only men to take 100+ catches in IPL history are Kohli, Raina, Jadeja, Pollard, and Rohit Sharma.
Before diving into the numbers, a quick clarification on scope: this list covers catches by outfielders — Virat Kohli’s record and his contemporaries who took chances without the advantage of wicketkeeping gloves. If you include wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni stands alone at the top, and that conversation is a separate one. Here, we’re talking about the men who dive, sprint, and leap to take catches purely through fieldcraft.
Most Catches in IPL History — Top 20 All-Time (Outfielders)
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | M | Catches | Catches/Match | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | RCB | 283 | 119 | 0.42 | 2008–2026 |
| 2 | Suresh Raina | CSK, GL | 205 | 109 | 0.53 | 2008–2021 |
| 3 | Ravindra Jadeja | RR, KTK, GL, CSK, RR | 266 | ~110 | 0.41 | 2008–2026 |
| 4 | Kieron Pollard | MI, others | 189 | 103 | 0.54 | 2010–2022 |
| 5 | Rohit Sharma | DC, MI | 275 | ~102 | 0.37 | 2008–2026 |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan | Multiple | 222 | 99 | 0.45 | 2008–2024 |
| 7 | AB de Villiers | DC, RCB | 184 | 90 | 0.49 | 2008–2021 |
| 8 | Faf du Plessis | CSK, RPS, DC, RCB | 145 | ~85 | 0.59 | 2012–2024 |
| 9 | David Warner | DC, SRH | 184 | 86 | 0.47 | 2009–2024 |
| 10 | Manish Pandey | RCB, KKR, SRH, PBKS | 171 | 83 | 0.49 | 2008–2024 |
| 11 | MS Dhoni * | CSK, RPS | 278+ | ~158 † | 0.57 | 2008–2026 |
| 12 | Ambati Rayudu | Multiple | 184 | ~72 | 0.39 | 2010–2022 |
| 13 | Hardik Pandya | MI, GT, MI | 150+ | ~68 | 0.45 | 2015–2026 |
| 14 | Suryakumar Yadav | MI | 130+ | ~60 | 0.46 | 2012–2026 |
† MS Dhoni’s total includes catches as wicketkeeper. All figures current through IPL 2026 final (31 May 2026). Active players’ tallies will continue to rise. Rows 11–15 include estimated figures; ranks 12 onward are approximate pending full ESPNcricinfo verification.
📊 What the Top 20 Reveals
Six of the top ten outfield catchers are Indian — which tells you something about the ground fielding culture IPL has built domestically. But the two biggest outliers in the list are Kieron Pollard and Faf du Plessis. Pollard’s 0.54 catches-per-match ratio is among the highest on the list despite playing far fewer games, reflecting how aggressively MI positioned him in key catching zones. Du Plessis, at roughly 0.59 catches per match, is actually the most “catch-efficient” fielder in the top ten — he converted a higher proportion of his fielding opportunities into dismissals than anyone else in the group. Kohli’s 0.42 ratio looks modest by comparison, but 19 seasons of consistency in that position makes the raw total impossible to challenge.
Most Catches in a Single IPL Season
| Rank | Player | Season | Catches | Team | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AB de Villiers | 2016 | 19 | RCB | 16 |
| 2 | Riyan Parag | 2022 | 14 | RR | 17 |
| 3 | David Miller | ~2015 | 14 | PBKS | 16 |
| 4 | Ravindra Jadeja | 2021 | 13 | CSK | 16 |
| 5 | Rohit Sharma | 2012 | 13 | MI | 17 |
🏆 The Record That’s Aged Better Than Expected
AB de Villiers took 19 catches in IPL 2016 — the same season he scored 687 runs at a strike rate of 168.79 and won RCB the Best Fielder award. That number has stood for a decade without serious challenge. The closest anyone has come since is 14. Part of what made de Villiers’s 2016 so special was his positioning: RCB used him at point and in the covers, where RCB’s attack consistently generated inside-edges and mistimed pull shots. His hands were clean, his reads were exceptional, and the catches were rarely ordinary. It remains, a full decade on, the single most dominant fielding season in IPL history.
One record that often gets missed in these conversations: Ravindra Jadeja became the first player in IPL history to achieve 100 catches, 1,000 runs, and 100 wickets. He reached the landmark in April 2024 against KKR at Chepauk — pulling off two catches in one evening to get there — and his response was vintage Jadeja: “I don’t count my catches.” The triple of 100-100-100 is something no other player has ever done, and no one outside of Jadeja’s skillset is likely to do it anytime soon.
Records Closing In — Who Can Break Kohli’s 119?
Kohli’s record looks safe for at least another four or five seasons, but two active players deserve genuine attention.
Ravindra Jadeja (~110 catches, active with RR in 2026) is the most realistic threat if he plays another three or four full seasons. At his current pace, he’d need roughly 9 more catches to overhaul Kohli — achievable in a single good season. The complication is age: Jadeja is 37, and his fielding has remained elite, but whether he plays until the point where his career total surpasses Kohli’s depends entirely on how long both men continue.
Rohit Sharma (~102 catches) is a longer shot but not out of the picture. He’s 17 behind Kohli. At his career average of roughly 8–9 catches per season, he’d need two more seasons at full output to even get close — and Kohli, who is also still active, would keep moving the target. The arithmetic makes this one very unlikely unless Kohli retires soon and Rohit plays on.
The real answer is that Kohli’s record is probably safe because of the way it was built — not through one spectacular season but through 19 consistent ones. There’s no shortcut to that kind of accumulation. Rohit Sharma’s career IPL stats page puts his fielding numbers in full context alongside his batting records, which helps illustrate just how differently the two have contributed across the same era.
Why Kohli’s Record Stands
- 19 unbroken seasons, one franchise — maximum opportunity volume
- Consistently placed at covers/slips where RCB’s spin-heavy attack generates catches
- Elite fitness at 37, still playing at full intensity in 2026
- Has never had a season with fewer than 4 catches since 2011
Why It Could Be Broken
- Jadeja is only ~9 catches behind and plays every season at full pace
- Younger players (Suryakumar, Shreyas) accumulating quickly
- If Kohli steps back from the IPL, Jadeja closes the gap fast
- Modern athletic fielding standards push catch counts up annually
Kohli’s fielding record is underrated even by people who follow him closely. The conversation always goes to his 8,661 runs, his eight centuries, the Orange Cap years. But 119 catches as an outfielder — no gloves, no standing-still under the bar, just pure reads and reflexes — over 19 seasons is a kind of quiet excellence that doesn’t get its due. What I find most interesting is the ratio comparison: Faf du Plessis and Kieron Pollard have better per-match numbers, but they played fewer matches, which tells you the record is as much about durability as skill. Kohli is both the most skilled and the most durable fielder the IPL has produced in his position.
Jadeja’s triple-100 milestone is the one I think history will eventually rank above Kohli’s raw catch count. No one else has 100 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in the IPL. No one else is even in the conversation. When people look back at IPL fielding records in 20 years, the three-way landmark is the one that will define Jadeja’s legacy — not where he finishes on the raw catches list. The dark horse worth watching over the next five seasons is Suryakumar Yadav. His outfield athleticism at boundary line is unlike anyone else in the current Indian setup, and he’s still accumulating fast.
Most Catches in IPL History — FAQs
Who has the most catches in IPL history?
Among outfielders (non-wicketkeepers), Virat Kohli leads with approximately 119 catches from 283 matches across 19 IPL seasons, all for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. If you include wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni holds the overall record with roughly 158 catches — the most by any player in IPL history regardless of role.
Who is second on the most catches list in IPL?
Among outfielders, Suresh Raina is second with 109 catches from 205 matches (2008–2021) across CSK and Gujarat Lions. He retired from the IPL in 2021, so his tally is fixed. Ravindra Jadeja is third at approximately 110 catches and is the only active player who could overtake Raina’s position — he already may have done so through the 2026 season.
Who has the most catches in a single IPL season?
AB de Villiers holds the single-season record with 19 catches for RCB in IPL 2016, across 16 matches. He won the Best Fielder award that season and also scored 687 runs at a strike rate of 168.79. Riyan Parag came closest to that record with 14 catches in IPL 2022 for Rajasthan Royals — still five short of de Villiers’s benchmark, which has stood unchallenged for a decade.
Can any active player break Kohli’s all-time catches record?
Ravindra Jadeja is the most realistic challenger — he’s only around 9 catches behind Kohli as of June 2026, still active with Rajasthan Royals, and one strong season could close the gap entirely. Rohit Sharma is approximately 17 catches back, which is harder to close quickly. The challenge for both is that Kohli is also still active, so the target keeps moving. If Kohli retires after the 2027 season, Jadeja has a genuine shot at the record before he hangs up his boots.
Which Indian player has the most IPL catches?
Virat Kohli leads all Indian outfielders with 119 catches. Among Indian wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni is far ahead of everyone else with roughly 158 catches — the only IPL keeper to surpass 200 total dismissals. Among retired Indian outfielders, Suresh Raina’s 109 catches from 205 matches remains one of the most impressive fielding records in the tournament’s history.
Bottom Line
Kohli’s 119 catches is a record of longevity as much as skill — 19 seasons of showing up, positioning right, and converting chances that many elite batters let go. Jadeja’s triple-100 milestone (100 catches, 1,000 runs, 100 wickets) is the fielding story that will define IPL’s statistical legacy, but the raw catches record belongs to Kohli and is his to lose. With both men still active in 2026, and Jadeja within single figures of the lead, the next two seasons could settle one of the quietest but most compelling records in IPL history. Track both players’ ongoing contributions via the complete IPL records hub.
