Top 5 players with most catches in the IPL

Each year the Indian Premier League (IPL) gives its fans a plethora of moments to cherish and a few of them are so magical that they leave a lasting imprint on the minds of the fans for a long time. While batsmen and bowlers get a fair chance to display their skill, fielders are very much underappreciated. However, with the dawn of shorter formats, they have gained much more prominence as their job becomes all the more important since the match can change in a matter of balls and every run saved is crucial.

The IPL, over the course of one whole decade, has given the opportunity to witness some of the best fielders in the business display their exemplary fielding and catching prowess. In this article, we take a look at the top fielders with the most number of catches in the history of the tournament.

5. Dwayne Bravo – 60 catches

Dwayne Bravo, who has won the Purple Cap holder twice as a bowler, tests a batsman with his range of off-cutters and slower ball yorkers and often comes out on top. But this is not the only utility that the agile 33-year-old all-rounder from West Indies brings to his team.

His athleticism and a safe pair of hands mean that he is an asset for any fielding side, saving crucial runs, holding on to spectacular catches and effecting miraculous run-outs from the outfield. He is also a very good fielder off his own bowling and has time and again pulled off stunners in his follow through.

4. Kieron Pollard – 70 catches

Oppositions not only have to deal with Pollard’s intimidating batting and golden arm while bowling but also his exceptional fielding skills. A livewire, the aggressive Trinidadian is always in the face of the opposition batsmen while on the field.

Using his long reach to good effect, Pollard is a phenomenal fielder at any position on the field. He usually guards the point area in the power-play overs and is very tough to beat on the boundary in the death overs. Over the years, in the IPL, he has taken some spectacular catches in crunch situations which have resulted in matches being turned on their heads in his team, Mumbai Indians’ favour

3. Rohit Sharma (71 catches)

Rohit Sharma stands third on the list of most number of catches in the history of the IPL. The stylish and elegant Mumbai Indians captain has not just proved to be one of the best batsmen across the ten seasons of the IPL but also one of the safest fielders.

The 29-year-old may not be the most effervescent when it comes to athleticism on the cricket field but can be relied upon to pouch catches safely. Rohit starts off in the slips in the initial overs and then patrols the inner circle. His ground fielding skills cannot be underestimated and one can always see him put in a hundred percent for his team on the field.

2. AB de Villiers – 72 catches

There is nothing in the cricket textbook that the man is not capable of doing. He can hit a cricket ball miles away. He can roll his arm over to effect vital dismissals. He can efficiently keep wickets. And last, but surely not least, he outclasses the best of fielders on the playing field.

One of the biggest assets in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, de Villiers has taken some extraordinary catches both inside the circle and at the outfield. He is mostly deployed at the long off or long on boundary as he has phenomenal ground fielding skills to go with his mind-boggling ability to pluck catches out of nowhere.

1. Suresh Raina (86 catches)

Suresh Raina is a beast on the field and is heralded for his incredible athleticism. He changed the way the world looked at Indian fielding by carrying forward the legacy of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Apart from being an explosive batsman who any T20 team would love to have in their line-up, he is a terrific ground fielder and hardly misses a chance to put his body on the line to save even a single run for his team.

Raina’s presence makes a huge difference to the morale of the bowler and his team by throwing himself about with energy and verve.