IPL 2021: Ranking wicketkeepers of all 8 teams ahead of the season

1. MS Dhoni (CSK)

Was there any doubt about who would grab the top spot? In fact, many readers would have possibly guessed that this man’s name would be on top of the list the moment they saw the title. Such is the greatness of the CSK skipper; such is the aura that MS Dhoni exudes behind the stumps.

No wicket-keeper in IPL history can claim to be better than Dhoni, as he is a complete package. He is extremely safe when he takes catches with the gloves, and can also catch the batsman short of his ground by affecting sensational runouts. But then, it is his ‘stumping’ ability that has grasped the attention of the cricketing world. In fact, such is Dhoni’s stature, that the moment he appeals for a stumping, the on-field umpire automatically refers the decision to the third umpire.

And, the numbers too back the CSK legend. Dhoni has played as a keeper 197 times in the IPL and has dismissed 148 batsmen. While 109 of those dismissals are catches, 39 of them are stumpings. Dhoni will also go down as one of the greatest batsmen in IPL cricket. The CSK batting behemoth has scored 4632 runs in the IPL and has scored them at a colossal average of 40.99.

Dhoni has also led the CSK outfit to 3 IPL titles. While he retired from international cricket in August 2020, Dhoni will continue to lead the ‘yellow brigade’ in the 2021 edition of the IPL.

Note: All the stats have been taken from Cricinfo and iplt20.com and have been updated as of 1st March 2021.