Most Catches in IPL History
Virat Kohli holds the record for the most catches in IPL history, with 126 catches in 281 fielding innings through the completed 2026 season. Ravindra Jadeja follows with 110, and Suresh Raina sits third with 109. This guide ranks the leading catchers, explains why total catches and catches per innings tell different stories, and looks at what separates the great IPL fielders from the rest.
Most catches in IPL history: top 10 fielders
The table below counts catches taken as a fielder only, excluding dismissals taken as a wicketkeeper. That distinction matters: wicketkeepers take catches off nearly every edge, so mixing their numbers with outfielders’ would make the ranking meaningless. All figures are through the completed 2026 season.
| Rank | Player | Teams | Matches | Fielding innings | Catches | Catches per innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 283 | 281 | 126 | 0.44 |
| 2 | Ravindra Jadeja | Chennai Super Kings and others | 268 | 267 | 110 | 0.41 |
| 3 | Suresh Raina | Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions | 205 | 204 | 109 | 0.53 |
| 4 | Kieron Pollard | Mumbai Indians | 189 | 189 | 103 | 0.54 |
| 5 | Rohit Sharma | Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers | 281 | 281 | 102 | 0.36 |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan | Delhi Capitals and others | 222 | 222 | 99 | 0.45 |
| 7 | AB de Villiers | Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Daredevils | 184 | 130 | 90 | 0.69 |
| 8 | David Warner | Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals | 184 | 183 | 86 | 0.47 |
| 9 | Faf du Plessis | Chennai Super Kings and others | 154 | 152 | 85 | 0.56 |
| 10 | Manish Pandey | Seven franchises | 174 | 174 | 83 | 0.48 |
Kohli’s lead is built on longevity and availability. He has played more IPL matches for a single franchise than anyone else, and he has fielded in nearly all of them. Jadeja closed the gap steadily because he combines a long career with one of the strongest throwing arms and quickest sets of hands in the league.
Virat Kohli: the IPL catching record holder
Virat Kohli IPL stats show 126 catches across 281 fielding innings, at a rate of 0.44 catches per innings. His best single-match return is three catches, a mark he has reached multiple times. Kohli usually fields at cover or in the inner ring, positions where the ball travels fast and reaction time is minimal.
What stands out about Kohli’s fielding is its consistency across nearly two decades. He has remained a front-line fielder well into his late thirties, which is unusual in a league where older players are often hidden in low-traffic positions. His catching record is therefore a fitness record as much as a skill record: he has stayed quick enough to keep fielding where the catches actually come.
Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina: the Chennai standard
Ravindra Jadeja’s 110 catches in 267 innings make him the most productive active-style fielder of his generation. Jadeja’s catching is only part of his fielding value: his flat, fast throws from the deep have produced run-outs that do not appear in a catches table, and his ground fielding saves runs that never become statistics. His maximum of four catches in a single match shows how completely he can dominate a game in the field.
Suresh Raina’s 109 catches came in just 204 innings, a rate of 0.53 per innings that beats both men above him. Raina was Chennai’s heartbeat in the field, usually stationed at point or cover, where his anticipation turned half-chances into wickets. His retirement in 2021 froze his tally, yet he remains third because few fielders have matched his rate over a long career.
Total catches versus catches per innings
Total catches reward longevity. Catches per innings rewards efficiency. The two measures produce different answers, and both are worth reading together.
On efficiency, AB de Villiers leads the top 10 by a wide margin at 0.69 catches per innings. His total of 90 catches looks modest beside Kohli’s 126, but he reached it in only 130 fielding innings, because he spent much of his IPL career as a wicketkeeper and only fielded as an outfielder in part of his matches. Faf du Plessis at 0.56 and Kieron Pollard at 0.54 also rank ahead of Kohli on rate, even though their totals are lower.
Neither measure is wrong. Totals answer the question of who contributed the most catching value across a career, while rate answers who was the most productive per game. A complete reading of IPL fielding needs both, plus the context of where each player fielded.
Fielding positions and why they shape catching totals
Where a player fields determines how many catching chances he gets. Slips and short catching positions see the hardest chances but fewer of them in T20 cricket. The inner ring, cover, point, and midwicket see a steady stream of firmly hit balls. The boundary brings high catches and the risk of stepping over the rope.
Kieron Pollard’s 103 catches were built largely near the boundary, where his height, reach, and judgement turned sixes into wickets. Rohit Sharma’s 102 catches came mostly from slip and the inner ring, where safe hands matter more than athletic range. Jadeja has covered almost every position at different stages, which is part of why his numbers stay high regardless of team plans.
Captains also move their best fielders to where the ball is most likely to go. A left-arm spinner’s over, for example, sends more balls toward deep midwicket and long-on, so teams station their safest hands there. Catching totals therefore reflect tactical decisions as well as individual skill.
What makes an elite T20 catcher
Elite T20 catching rests on four skills. The first is anticipation: reading the batter’s shape, the bowler’s plan, and the match situation to start moving before the ball is hit. The second is footwork: getting the body into position so the hands can work calmly rather than reaching. The third is soft hands: absorbing the ball’s pace instead of snatching at it. The fourth is composure under the high ball, where the crowd, the lights, and the match situation all compete for attention.
Fitness underpins all four. T20 matches are played in heat and humidity, often with quick turnarounds between games. A fielder whose legs are gone in the 18th over will mistime a boundary catch that he would have taken easily in the second over. The leaders on this list all maintained elite fitness deep into long careers, which is a large part of why they kept taking catches season after season.
Dropped catches are the hidden side of this record. No public IPL table tracks drops with the same authority as catches, so a high catch total can partly reflect a high number of chances. Even so, the leaders here are remembered for taking the difficult chances, not just the routine ones, which is the practical test of a great fielder.
How the catching record has moved over time
The catching record has grown steadily as the league expanded. More matches per season mean more chances, and improved fitness standards mean more of those chances are taken. Kohli passed Raina’s mark by staying active long after most of his contemporaries retired, while Jadeja overtook Raina during the 2026 season to reach 110.
The next challengers are unlikely to come from the retired names on this list. They will come from young fielders who combine long careers with high catch rates, the way Faf du Plessis did. A player who fields 15 seasons at 0.50 catches per innings would finish near 110 catches, which shows how steep the climb to Kohli’s record remains. For the wider record book, the IPL records page tracks how the fielding marks move each season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has taken the most catches in IPL history?
Virat Kohli leads with 126 catches in 281 fielding innings through the completed 2026 season, all for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Do wicketkeeper catches count in this record?
No. This ranking counts catches taken as a fielder only. Wicketkeeper dismissals are recorded separately, which is why players who kept wicket for long stretches show fewer fielding innings.
Who has the best catches-per-innings rate in IPL history?
Among the top 10, AB de Villiers leads at 0.69 catches per innings, from 90 catches in 130 fielding innings. His total is lower because he kept wicket for much of his IPL career.
How many catches did Suresh Raina take in the IPL?
Suresh Raina took 109 catches in 204 fielding innings for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions, at a rate of 0.53 catches per innings.
Which active fielder is closest to Kohli’s record?
Ravindra Jadeja is the closest long-career fielder, with 110 catches through the completed 2026 season. He needs 17 more catches to pass Kohli’s mark of 126.
What is the most catches by a fielder in a single IPL match?
Several players have taken three catches in a match, and Ravindra Jadeja’s best single-match return is four catches, the highest among the top 10 on this list.