Most Not Outs in IPL History: Batsmen with Most Unbeaten Innings

Finishing an IPL innings unbeaten can mean several different things. An opener may carry his bat through a successful chase, a middle-order batter may stay until the end of 20 overs, or a specialist finisher may arrive in the final five overs and make sure his team crosses the line. Whatever the situation, repeated not-outs usually reflect a batter’s ability to survive pressure and understand the demands of the closing stages.

No player represents that skill better than MS Dhoni. The Chennai Super Kings legend became the first player to reach 100 not-outs in IPL history and remains comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Ravindra Jadeja occupies second place, while Kieron Pollard, Dinesh Karthik and David Miller are also among the leading names.

The list is dominated by middle-order batters and all-rounders rather than openers. That is understandable. Players batting at No. 5, No. 6 or No. 7 frequently enter late in an innings, giving them more opportunities to finish unbeaten. However, accumulating dozens of not-outs across many seasons still requires longevity, consistency and the ability to survive high-pressure overs.

Most Not Outs in IPL History

The table below lists the leading batters for unbeaten innings in IPL history through the completed 2026 season.

Not-outs are different from runs, batting average or strike rate. A player can finish unbeaten on five runs because he entered with only a few balls remaining, while another may make an unbeaten century. The number therefore works best when considered alongside batting role and match context.

MS Dhoni – 100 IPL Not Outs

MS Dhoni stands alone at the top of the IPL not-outs list.

His record is closely connected to the role that defined much of his career: finishing innings for Chennai Super Kings.

Dhoni usually batted between No. 5 and No. 7. In successful chases, he often tried to take the game deep before attacking during the final overs. When CSK batted first, his task was usually to maximize the final four or five overs.

That role produced an extraordinary number of unbeaten appearances.

Dhoni’s highest IPL score is 84 not out against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019. Although CSK lost that match by one run, the innings remains one of his finest individual performances.

He also finished unbeaten frequently during CSK’s championship seasons.

His ability to remain at the crease until the final ball is a major reason he is considered one of the greatest finishers in IPL and limited-overs history.

Ravindra Jadeja – More Than 80 Unbeaten Innings

Ravindra Jadeja ranks second and has spent much of his IPL career batting in the lower middle order.

Jadeja’s role naturally creates not-out opportunities, but his total also reflects his longevity.

He debuted in the inaugural IPL season with Rajasthan Royals and later became a central figure for Chennai Super Kings.

Jadeja has regularly entered during the closing stages, when only a few overs remain. His job has often involved supporting a recognized batter, attacking spin or completing a chase.

One of his most famous unbeaten contributions came in the 2023 final.

CSK needed 10 runs from the final two deliveries against Gujarat Titans. Jadeja hit Mohit Sharma for six and then struck the final ball for four, finishing unbeaten and giving Chennai their fifth IPL title.

Few not-outs have carried greater championship significance.

Kieron Pollard – 52 Not Outs

Kieron Pollard was one of the most feared finishers of the IPL era.

The West Indian played his entire IPL career for Mumbai Indians and became a crucial part of a side that won five championships during his playing years.

Pollard rarely needed many deliveries to change a match.

He could enter in the 14th or 15th over and immediately target fast bowlers, particularly when they missed their yorkers.

His 87 not out from just 34 balls against Chennai Super Kings in 2021 remains one of the finest successful chases by an IPL finisher.

Mumbai needed 219 to win.

Pollard launched eight sixes and six fours, kept control of the strike during the closing stages and completed the chase from the final delivery.

His 52 unbeaten innings reflect exactly what Mumbai expected from him: stay in until the end and keep the required rate within reach.

Dinesh Karthik – 50 IPL Not Outs

Dinesh Karthik played for several franchises during an IPL career that stretched from the inaugural season to 2024.

His batting role changed significantly over that period.

Early in his career, Karthik often batted as a conventional middle-order wicketkeeper. Later, particularly with Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he developed into a specialist finisher.

RCB used him aggressively at the death.

During his strongest finishing seasons, Karthik regularly entered with only 20 or 30 balls remaining and immediately targeted boundaries behind square and down the ground.

His ability to play scoops and manipulate field placements made him difficult to contain.

Finishing 50 IPL innings unbeaten highlights both his longevity and adaptability.

David Miller – One of the IPL’s Best Chase Finishers

David Miller has built his IPL career around middle-order power and calm chasing.

The South African left-hander announced himself as a major IPL force with a stunning unbeaten 101 from 38 balls for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013.

Punjab had slipped to 64/4 while chasing 191.

Miller transformed the game, striking eight fours and seven sixes and carrying his team home with two overs remaining.

His finishing became even more important during Gujarat Titans’ title-winning 2022 campaign.

Miller repeatedly remained unbeaten in successful chases, giving Gujarat a reliable presence at No. 5.

His 68 not out from 38 balls against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 sent Gujarat directly into the final.

Miller’s high number of unbeaten innings reflects a career spent in one of T20 cricket’s most difficult positions.

Most Not Outs in a Single IPL Season

A high single-season not-out total usually belongs to a middle-order finisher rather than a top-order run-scorer.

Rahul Tewatia led the completed 2026 season with eight unbeaten innings.

Ravindra Jadeja finished seven innings unbeaten during the same campaign, while several other lower-order players also accumulated large totals.

Dhoni’s 2018 campaign is particularly notable because his unbeaten innings were accompanied by major run production.

He scored 455 runs at an average above 75 and helped CSK win the title immediately after their two-season absence from the competition.

The statistic therefore reflected both his batting position and his effectiveness.

Tewatia’s eight not-outs in 2026 came from his familiar finishing role. Gujarat repeatedly used him late in the innings, giving him fewer balls than top-order batters but a clear job: attack quickly and stay until the end.

Why Finishers Record So Many Not Outs

The IPL not-outs leaderboard needs context.

Openers such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma usually have to survive almost an entire innings to finish unbeaten.

A No. 7 batter may need to survive only 10 balls.

That naturally favors players such as Dhoni, Jadeja, Pollard, Bravo and Tewatia.

However, finishing is not easy.

Death overs feature yorkers, slower balls, wide lines and packed boundary fields. Batters also have to attack almost immediately because there is little time to settle.

A good finisher must balance two competing goals: score quickly and avoid dismissal.

The greatest players in the role repeatedly manage both.

Greatest Finishers in IPL History

MS Dhoni

Dhoni remains the benchmark.

No IPL batter has combined longevity, successful chases and unbeaten innings as consistently.

His method became famous: take the chase deep, identify one or two bowlers to attack and trust his power in the final overs.

Kieron Pollard

Pollard offered greater immediate boundary-hitting.

Mumbai Indians often required him to attack from his first few deliveries, and his ability to clear long boundaries made him especially dangerous when chasing 12 or more runs per over.

AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers’ not-out total is lower than Dhoni’s, but his scoring rate at the death was extraordinary.

He could access almost every part of the field.

His ability to reverse-sweep, scoop, pull and hit straight made defensive bowling plans difficult to execute.

David Miller

Miller’s greatest strength has been his control in chases.

Rather than attacking every delivery, he often identifies matchups and preserves his wicket until the final overs.

Dinesh Karthik

Karthik reinvented himself late in his career.

His finishing for RCB showed how a batter could remain highly valuable even when facing only a small number of deliveries per innings.

Famous Unbeaten Knocks in IPL History

Chris Gayle – 175* vs Pune Warriors India

Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history.

He faced only 66 balls and smashed 17 sixes.

RCB reached 263/5, and Gayle walked off without being dismissed after producing one of the greatest T20 innings ever played.

Brendon McCullum – 158* in the First IPL Match

The IPL began with an unforgettable unbeaten innings.

Brendon McCullum made 158 not out from 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of the competition in 2008.

His innings immediately demonstrated what the new league could offer.

AB de Villiers – 129* vs Gujarat Lions

AB de Villiers produced a spectacular 129 not out from 52 balls for RCB in 2016.

Virat Kohli also made 109 as the pair added 229 for the second wicket.

RCB finished with 248/3 and won comfortably.

Kieron Pollard – 87* vs Chennai Super Kings

Pollard’s unbeaten 87 in 2021 came in a far more difficult situation because Mumbai were chasing 219.

He kept Mumbai alive throughout the closing overs and completed one of the greatest high-scoring chases in IPL history.

MS Dhoni – 84* vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Dhoni nearly completed an impossible chase in Bengaluru in 2019.

CSK needed 26 from the final over.

Dhoni attacked Umesh Yadav and brought the equation down to two runs from the final delivery.

He could not complete the winning run, but his unbeaten 84 remains his highest IPL score and one of his most memorable performances.

Ravindra Jadeja – 15* in the 2023 Final

Jadeja’s final score was only 15 not out, but the context made it historic.

CSK needed 10 from the last two balls of the final.

Jadeja hit a six and a four to defeat Gujarat Titans and secure another championship for Chennai.

It was the perfect example of why an unbeaten 15 can sometimes matter more than an unbeaten fifty.

Not Outs and Batting Average

Not-outs have a direct effect on batting average.

A player’s batting average is calculated using runs divided by the number of times he has been dismissed, not the number of innings played.

That means frequent unbeaten innings can lift a player’s average significantly.

Dhoni, Jadeja and Miller have all benefited statistically from completing innings without losing their wickets.

However, that does not make their averages artificial.

Batting positions determine responsibilities.

A specialist finisher is specifically selected to remain at the crease and complete innings. If he survives while also scoring quickly, the not-out is evidence that he has fulfilled part of his role.

Not Every Not Out Means a Successful Finish

It is important not to treat every unbeaten innings as a match-winning performance.

Dhoni’s 84 not out against RCB in 2019 came in a defeat.

A lower-order batter can also remain unbeaten simply because his team runs out of overs.

Sometimes a player reaches the crease for only the final ball and finishes 0 not out.

Therefore, career not-out totals should be considered alongside strike rate, runs scored at the death and unbeaten contributions in successful chases.

Dhoni’s reputation is stronger than the raw total because he also leads the IPL in death-over run production. Pollard, Jadeja and Karthik similarly spent large parts of their careers handling the final phase of innings.

How IPL Finishing Has Changed

Finishing in the first decade of the IPL looked different from modern death-over batting.

Dhoni, Pollard and Yusuf Pathan relied heavily on power and the ability to punish missed yorkers.

Modern finishers face more sophisticated defensive bowling.

Pacers now regularly use wide yorkers, slower bouncers, cutters and changes of pace.

Batters have responded with ramps, switch-hits, reverse sweeps and improved access to the area behind square.

The required scoring rate has also increased.

A total of 180 once looked extremely strong at many venues. Modern teams regularly aim above 200 when conditions are favorable.

That has made the finisher’s job even more aggressive.

The objective is no longer simply to remain unbeaten. A modern finisher may need to score at a strike rate above 180 while doing so.

Conclusion

MS Dhoni holds the record for the most not-outs in IPL history, becoming the first batter to finish 100 IPL innings unbeaten.

Ravindra Jadeja ranks second, while David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya and several other specialist middle-order players feature prominently near the top.

Their presence shows how strongly batting position influences the statistic.

Dhoni remains the standout because his unbeaten innings are supported by enormous death-over run production and a long list of successful finishes for Chennai Super Kings.

Pollard performed a similar role for Mumbai Indians, Miller became one of the league’s most dependable chase finishers, and Karthik successfully reinvented himself as a death-overs specialist.

Not-outs alone cannot identify the best batter or even the best finisher. But when combined with runs, strike rate and match context, they tell an important story about which players have repeatedly stayed at the crease when an IPL innings reached its decisive final moments.

FAQs

Who has the most not outs in IPL history?

MS Dhoni holds the IPL record with 100 unbeaten innings. His long career as Chennai Super Kings’ middle-order finisher helped him build a large lead in this category.

Who is second for the most not outs in the IPL?

Ravindra Jadeja ranks second. Much of his career has been spent in the lower middle order, where he has regularly finished innings unbeaten.

Who has the most not outs in a single IPL season?

MS Dhoni recorded nine unbeaten innings during the 2018 season, one of the highest single-season totals. Rahul Tewatia led the 2026 season with eight not-outs.

Which overseas player has the most IPL not outs?

Kieron Pollard and David Miller are among the leading overseas players for IPL not-outs. Both built their reputations primarily as middle-order finishers.

What is MS Dhoni’s highest unbeaten IPL score?

Dhoni’s highest IPL score is 84 not out against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.

Does a not out increase a player’s batting average?

Yes. Batting average is calculated using runs divided by dismissals. An unbeaten innings does not count as a dismissal, so frequent not-outs can significantly increase a player’s average.