5 greatest IPL wicket-keepers of all time

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most lucrative and competitive T20 franchise league in the world, so it's no surprise that the best cricketers in the world ply their trade in the competition.

Various world-class wicket-keepers like Adam Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara have lit up the IPL, while modern glovemen like Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow are well on their way to legendary status.

In this article, we attempt to rank the 5 greatest IPL wicket-keepers of all time.

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#5 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha

Diminutive wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha has been severely hit by injuries over the last few years. But with 77 dismissals (57 catches and 20 stumpings) to go with 1,979 runs at an average of 25.7 and a strike rate of 132.2, he is undoubtedly one of the best glovemen in IPL history.

Saha's greatest contribution in the IPL came in the 2014 final against the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he smashed a century in a losing cause. The 36-year-old was spectacular in the 4 games he played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020, scoring 214 runs at an average of 71.33.

Saha is reaching the twilight of his career, but he certainly has a year or two ahead of him as an IPL opener/keeper.

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#4 Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel has never been regarded an ideal T20 player, with a perceived inability to clear the boundary and accelerate outside the powerplay preventing him from making a massive impact at any of the 6 teams he has been part of.

However, Patel has consistently chipped in with underrated performances while opening the batting and has 2,848 runs at an average of 22.6 and a strike rate of 120.78 to his credit. He has also recorded 82 dismissals (66 catches and 16 stumpings) in the IPL.

Patel recently announced his retirement and joined the Mumbai Indians as a talent scout, so we may see him fall out of this list as players like Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul continue their IPL careers.

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#3 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik

Placed at #2 on the list of most dismissals in IPL history with 140 (110 catches and 30 stumpings), Dinesh Karthik has been a constant behind the stumps since the inception of the league.

Karthik has scored 3,823 runs in the IPL at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 129.63. He falls down a spot on this list since he has been unable to make enough of an impact at any team to be retained for more than a year or two, and has scored less than 300 runs in 5 of his 13 seasons in the league.

Karthik stepped down as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders in order to focus on his batting, but the decision failed to bear fruit. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the 35-year-old.

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#2 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa

The Chennai Super Kings' most recent acquisition Robin Uthappa has been consistency personified over the years in the IPL. Although he has been a tad out of touch in the last two seasons and doesn't don the gloves anymore, his record speaks for itself.

Uthappa has scored 4,607 runs at an average of 27.92 and a strike rate of 129.99, with as many as 24 fifties to his name. He was a vital component in Gautam Gambhir's legendary Kolkata Knight Riders side, and has played a hand in 90 dismissals (58 catches and 32 stumpings).

Uthappa may not add to his keeping numbers anytime soon, but he has done enough to seal the #2 spot on this list.

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#1 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

In what will come as a surprise to absolutely no one, Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has easily been the greatest wicket-keeper in IPL history. He has 148 dismissals (109 catches and 39 stumpings) to his name, and has scored 4,632 runs at an average of 40.99 and a strike rate of 136.75.

Dhoni had a disappointing season in 2020 as he scored only 200 runs at a strike rate of 116.27. However, his performances in almost all other IPL campaigns have been nothing short of extraordinary.