Most Catches in a Single Innings in IPL: Fielding Records

Fielding has always been one of the most underrated parts of the Indian Premier League. A spectacular catch can remove a set batter, change the momentum of an innings and completely alter the pressure on the bowling side. In T20 cricket, where batters constantly attack the boundary, reliable outfield catching is especially valuable.

The IPL record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in a single innings is five. Mohammad Nabi became the first fielder to achieve the feat for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians in 2021. Daryl Mitchell matched him for Chennai Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024.

Several outstanding fielders have taken four catches in one innings, including Sachin Tendulkar, David Warner, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh.

The list includes very different fielding roles. Some players operated inside the circle, others patrolled the deep, while all-rounders such as Jadeja and Kallis contributed with the ball or bat as well. What connects them is concentration. One catch can come through luck or positioning; taking four or five in a single T20 innings requires a fielder to remain involved throughout the entire 20 overs.

Most Catches in a Single IPL Innings

The table below covers catches taken by non-wicketkeepers in a single IPL innings. Wicketkeeper catches are excluded because they form a separate dismissal category.

Four catches in one innings has happened several times in IPL history, but only Nabi and Mitchell have reached five in the main innings of a match.

Mohammad Nabi – 5 Catches vs Mumbai Indians

most catches by fielder.

Mumbai batted first and launched one of their most aggressive innings of the season.

Ishan Kishan smashed 84 from only 32 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav scored 82 from 40. MI eventually reached 235/9.

Nabi was involved repeatedly in the field as Mumbai continued attacking.

One of his most notable catches came when Rohit Sharma tried to attack Rashid Khan and Nabi completed a difficult chance.

Because Mumbai kept playing aerial shots throughout the innings, SRH’s boundary fielders remained under constant pressure.

Nabi held five catches without an error and created an IPL record.

His fielding performance was even more impressive because the match itself was extremely demanding. Mumbai knew they required an enormous winning margin to maintain their playoff hopes, so their batters attacked almost every over.

SRH eventually lost by 42 runs, but Nabi’s five catches became the major fielding record from the match.

Daryl Mitchell – 5 Catches vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Daryl Mitchell equalled Nabi’s record in 2024 when Chennai Super Kings faced Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk.

CSK posted 212/3 after Ruturaj Gaikwad made 98 and Daryl Mitchell himself contributed 52.

Sunrisers then attempted an aggressive chase.

Their approach created repeated catching opportunities.

Tushar Deshpande struck three times early, while Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman continued taking wickets through the middle and death overs.

Mitchell was positioned perfectly throughout the innings.

He completed five catches as SRH collapsed for 134.

CSK won by 78 runs.

Mitchell’s performance made him only the second outfielder in IPL history to take five catches in one innings.

It was also an unusually complete match for him personally. He scored a half-century with the bat before becoming the dominant fielder during the chase.

That combination made the performance one of the best all-round fielding displays in IPL history.

Sachin Tendulkar – 4 Catches vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Sachin Tendulkar was the first player to take four catches in an IPL innings.

The record came during the inaugural 2008 season when Mumbai Indians faced Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium.

KKR suffered one of the worst batting collapses of the early IPL era.

Mumbai’s bowlers repeatedly forced aerial shots, and Tendulkar kept completing the chances.

He finished with four catches.

Mumbai bowled Kolkata out for just 67.

The chase lasted only 5.3 overs as MI reached 68/2, winning with 87 balls remaining.

At the time, it was one of the most dominant victories in IPL history.

Tendulkar was obviously better known for batting, but his four-catch performance created a fielding record that stood alone until David Warner matched it two years later.

David Warner – 4 Catches vs Rajasthan Royals

David Warner joined Tendulkar on four catches while playing for Delhi Daredevils against Rajasthan Royals in 2010.

Warner was one of the quickest and most athletic fielders in the competition during his early IPL career.

He could field close to the bat, in the covers or on the boundary.

Against Rajasthan, that versatility helped him stay involved throughout the innings.

He completed four catches and became only the second fielder to reach the mark.

Warner’s record also illustrates why elite top-order batters can still provide enormous defensive value.

He was not simply in the side to score runs.

His speed across the ground and safe catching allowed captains to place him in positions where chances were likely to come.

Warner went on to finish his IPL career with more than 80 outfield catches.

Jacques Kallis – 4 Catches vs Deccan Chargers

Jacques Kallis produced one of the most complete performances on the four-catch list.

Playing for Kolkata Knight Riders against Deccan Chargers in 2011, Kallis took four catches in the field.

He also scored 53 with the bat.

That made him one of the rare IPL players to combine a fifty with four catches in the same match.

Kallis was not the most acrobatic fielder of his era, but he possessed excellent hands and strong anticipation.

He often fielded in positions where clean catching mattered more than raw speed.

His four catches helped Kolkata control Deccan’s chase and reinforced his value as a true all-rounder.

Years later, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh would produce similar matches by combining major batting contributions with four catches.

Other Four-Catch Performances

Rahul Tewatia vs Mumbai Indians, 2019

Rahul Tewatia equalled the record for Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians in the opening round of the 2019 season.

Delhi scored 213/6 after Rishabh Pant smashed an unbeaten 78 from only 27 balls.

During Mumbai’s chase, Tewatia took four catches.

Delhi dismissed Mumbai for 176 and won by 37 runs.

At the time, the IPL’s official match report noted that Tewatia had joined Tendulkar, Warner and Kallis as the only players to take four catches in an innings.

David Miller vs Mumbai Indians, 2019

Only weeks after Tewatia’s performance, David Miller also took four catches against Mumbai Indians.

Miller was one of the safest boundary fielders of his generation.

His height, strong hands and experience judging high balls made him especially reliable near long-on and deep midwicket.

He later built one of the best career catching records among overseas players.

Ravindra Jadeja vs Rajasthan Royals, 2021

Ravindra Jadeja’s 2021 performance against Rajasthan Royals was much more than a catching record.

He took four catches and also claimed two wickets.

CSK scored 188/9 and then bowled Rajasthan out for 143.

Jadeja was involved in six of the nine dismissals credited during the chase.

His fourth catch produced one of the memorable celebrations of the season, but the wider performance was a perfect demonstration of his fielding value.

Few players in IPL history have influenced matches through ground fielding, catching and bowling as consistently as Jadeja.

Riyan Parag vs RCB, 2022

Riyan Parag produced another rare batting-and-fielding double against RCB in 2022.

Rajasthan were struggling with the bat before Parag scored an unbeaten 56 from 31 balls and lifted them to 144/8.

He then took four catches as RCB collapsed for 115.

Rajasthan won by 29 runs.

Parag finished the 2022 season with 17 catches, one of the highest single-season totals by an outfielder.

Rinku Singh vs Lucknow Super Giants, 2026

Rinku Singh created one of the most complete individual performances of the 2026 season against Lucknow Super Giants.

He scored an unbeaten 83 to rescue Kolkata Knight Riders and then took four catches during LSG’s innings.

The match ended in a tie before KKR won the Super Over.

Rinku was involved again in the one-over shootout, completing part of a relay catch to dismiss Aiden Markram before hitting the winning boundary from the first ball of KKR’s chase.

His Super Over catch does not count toward the official main-innings fielding total, so the record remains four catches for the match innings.

Most Career Catches in IPL History

Virat Kohli leads the all-time IPL list for catches by a non-wicketkeeper.

Kohli’s record is based heavily on longevity.

Raina and Pollard, however, have higher catches-per-innings rates than several players above them in total catches.

AB de Villiers’ rate is particularly impressive. He spent some games as a wicketkeeper, but in his outfield appearances he became one of the most athletic catchers of the IPL era.

Virat Kohli’s Career Catching Record

Kohli has spent much of his IPL career at long-on, long-off, cover or inside the ring.

That has given him opportunities against both fast bowlers and spinners.

More importantly, he has remained in the league since 2008.

More than 280 fielding innings have allowed him to combine longevity with consistent catching.

His 126 catches through 2026 put him comfortably among the competition’s defining fielders.

Most Catches in a Single IPL Season

For non-wicketkeeper fielders, AB de Villiers owns the established single-season record with 19 catches for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016.

De Villiers’ record came during the same season in which RCB reached the IPL final.

He was already having an extraordinary year with the bat, scoring 687 runs, but his 19 catches demonstrated his value in the field as well.

Riyan Parag’s 17 catches in 2022 were another standout achievement and came during Rajasthan’s run to the final.

Famous Fielding Performances in IPL History

Kieron Pollard’s Boundary Catching

Pollard became one of the defining boundary fielders of the IPL.

His reach allowed him to catch balls that would have cleared many smaller fielders.

He was also excellent at judging the boundary rope, often catching the ball, releasing it before crossing the rope and completing the play after returning inside.

Pollard finished with 103 outfield catches, becoming one of the first IPL players to cross 100.

Suresh Raina’s Inner-Ring Fielding

Raina brought a different skill set.

He was exceptionally quick inside the circle and could take sharp catches at cover or point.

His anticipation also created run-out chances.

Raina finished with 109 IPL catches and became the first player in league history to reach 100 as a fielder.

Ravindra Jadeja’s All-Round Fielding

Jadeja may have the strongest claim as the IPL’s most complete fielder.

He combines safe catching with exceptional speed, throwing accuracy and boundary coverage.

His four catches and two wickets against Rajasthan in 2021 are one statistical example, but his influence cannot be measured by catches alone.

He has repeatedly saved boundaries and created run-outs that other fielders would not have attempted.

AB de Villiers’ Athletic Catches

De Villiers produced several spectacular catches during his RCB career.

His ability to leap near the boundary and adjust in the air made him one of the league’s most entertaining fielders.

He also holds the non-wicketkeeper single-season catch record with 19.

Most Catches in a Single Innings in IPL: Fielding Records

Every wicket has a larger effect in a 20-over match because batters have so little time to rebuild.

Dropping a set power-hitter on 40 can easily cost another 30 or 40 runs.

Taking the same catch can expose a new batter who has only a few deliveries to adjust.

Boundary catches are especially important.

Modern IPL batters hit more sixes than ever, which means deep fielders face higher, harder and more frequent chances.

That makes concentration as important as athleticism.

A fielder such as Nabi or Mitchell taking five catches in one innings does not simply create a personal record. It means the bowler has been rewarded five times because the fielder completed the chance.

Outfield Catches and Wicketkeeper Catches Are Different Records

Fielding statistics can become confusing because some lists combine outfielders and wicketkeepers.

MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik have taken more catches overall than Kohli, but most of those came while keeping wicket.

Those dismissals belong to the wicketkeeping record category.

The single-innings record discussed here covers non-wicketkeeper catches.

That is why Nabi and Mitchell’s five catches are treated as the main outfield record even though wicketkeepers can also take several catches in one innings.

Separating the categories gives a fairer picture of pure fielding performance.

Conclusion

Mohammad Nabi and Daryl Mitchell share the record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in a single IPL innings with five.

Nabi became the first player to reach the mark against Mumbai Indians in 2021.

Mitchell equalled him for Chennai Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024.

Several players have taken four catches in one innings, including Sachin Tendulkar, David Warner, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh.

Virat Kohli leads the career outfield catching list with 126 catches, followed by Jadeja and Suresh Raina.

AB de Villiers holds the single-season record for a non-wicketkeeper with 19 catches in 2016.

The numbers reinforce a simple point: elite fielding can influence an IPL match as much as batting or bowling.

A bowler may create the chance, but records such as Nabi’s and Mitchell’s exist because the fielder still had to finish the job.

FAQs

Who has taken the most catches in a single IPL innings?

Mohammad Nabi and Daryl Mitchell share the non-wicketkeeper record with five catches in one innings.

When did Mohammad Nabi take five catches in an IPL innings?

Nabi took five catches for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi during the 2021 IPL season.

Who matched Mohammad Nabi’s five-catch record?

Daryl Mitchell matched the record for Chennai Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024.

Who has taken the most career catches as an IPL fielder?

Virat Kohli leads the non-wicketkeeper career list with 126 catches through the completed 2026 IPL season.

Who has taken the most catches in a single IPL season?

AB de Villiers holds the established non-wicketkeeper record with 19 catches for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016.

How many catches did Ravindra Jadeja take against Rajasthan Royals in 2021?

Jadeja took four catches and also claimed two wickets as Chennai Super Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by 45 runs.