MS Dhoni is not the most successful keeper in IPL history
One of the most successful wicketkeeper-batsmen of all time, India’s limited-overs skipper MS Dhoni is revered for his lightning fast hands behind the stumps. He is the most successful keeper for India in both Tests and ODIs with 294 and 346 dismissals respectively. The skipper also jointly holds the record for the most number of stumpings (38) in Tests with Syed Kirmani. Dhoni has been fairly successful in the IPL too with his keeping as he has recorded 89 dismissals in 142 matches throughout his IPL career. But is he the most successful keeper in the IPL history?
The answer is no. It is not Dhoni, but Dinesh Karthik who is the most successful keeper in the history of the Indian Premier League with 97 dismissals to his name. The Tamilnadu keeper-batsman, who has played for 5 franchises in the IPL, has taken 71 catches and 26 stumpings to pip Dhoni to the top.
Also read: 5 embarrassing records of MS Dhoni
Here is the list of the 5 most successful keepers in the history of the IPL
| Rank | Player | Matches | Innings | Dismissals | Catches | Stumpings |
| 1. | Dinesh Karthik | 135 | 119 | 97 | 71 | 26 |
| 2. | MS Dhoni | 142 | 135 | 89 | 62 | 27 |
| 3. | Robin Uthappa | 133 | 98 | 72 | 47 | 25 |
| 4. | Adam Gilchrist | 80 | 80 | 67 | 51 | 16 |
| 5. | Naman Ojha | 94 | 93 | 67 | 57 | 10 |
Also read: IPL 2016: Gautam Gambhir reveals the reason behind his field placement for MS Dhoni
Karthik, who is playing for the Gujarat Lions in the ongoing IPL 2016, is also second in the most dismissals list this season with 13 against his name. Naman Ojha of the Sunrisers Hyderabad tops the list with 16 dismissals and MS Dhoni stands third with 12.
MS Dhoni is one of the most successful captains in IPL history with two trophies to his name which he won as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings. He also had an impressive record of reaching the playoffs in each and every season starting from 2008. However, this year, the instrumental skipper failed to lead his new team, the Rising Pune Supergiants, to the playoffs this season. The streak was broken and Dhoni came under huge criticism for some of his decisions.
However, as a keeper, he has been very impressive. He showed his impeccable street-smartness behind the stumps to block attempted late-cuts of Manan Vohra and Virat Kohli using his leg. He anticipated the stroke to perfection and put his leg up to block it. That was surely one of the moments of the 9th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Karthik also has fared well for his new team Gujarat Lions. He lived up to the expectations, this time, around as he shone both with his bat and his keeping. Karthik will surely look to contribute towards his team’s cause as his team is fighting for a place in the playoffs.