Glenn Maxwell has been dismissed for zero 19 times in the IPL. No batter in the tournament’s history has done it more. Yet 5 franchises have bought him across 14 seasons.
That tells you everything about how to read this list. These are not failures. Rohit Sharma has 7,183 IPL runs and 18 ducks. Dinesh Karthik built a career as one of the greatest finishers in T20 history and still has 18. Volume, batting position, and role produce ducks just as much as bad form does.
Here are the top 10 players with the most ducks in IPL history and what those zeros actually mean.
Top 10 Players With Most Ducks in IPL History
The complete all-time list, ranked by total ducks across all IPL seasons.
| Rank | Player | Span | Mat | Inns | Ducks | Runs | HS | Ave | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GJ Maxwell | 2012-2025 | 141 | 135 | 19 | 2819 | 95 | 23.88 | 155.14 |
| 2 | SP Narine | 2012-2026 | 195 | 125 | 18 | 1610 | 109 | 17.46 | 165.84 |
| 3 | KD Karthik | 2008-2024 | 257 | 234 | 18 | 4842 | 97* | 26.31 | 135.36 |
| 4 | RG Sharma | 2008-2026 | 276 | 271 | 18 | 7183 | 109* | 29.92 | 132.60 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | 2017-2026 | 141 | 70 | 16 | 609 | 79* | 14.16 | 159.42 |
| 6 | PP Chawla | 2008-2024 | 192 | 92 | 16 | 624 | 24* | 11.14 | 110.83 |
| 7 | Mandeep Singh | 2010-2023 | 111 | 98 | 15 | 1706 | 77* | 20.80 | 122.91 |
| 8 | AM Rahane | 2008-2026 | 205 | 190 | 13 | 5184 | 105* | 30.31 | 125.52 |
| 9 | MK Pandey | 2008-2025 | 174 | 162 | 13 | 3942 | 114* | 29.41 | 121.51 |
| 10 | AT Rayudu | 2010-2023 | 204 | 187 | 14 | 4348 | 100* | 28.23 | 127.54 |
1. Glenn Maxwell (DC/KXIP/MI/PBKS/RCB) — 19 Ducks in 135 Innings
Nobody owns this record the way Maxwell does. Nineteen ducks across 135 innings in the IPL, the most by any batter in the tournament’s history, and he got there by playing the only way he knows how.
Maxwell bats at a strike rate of 155.14 across his IPL career. He has scored 2,819 runs with a highest of 95. That combination of fearless hitting and a near-zero survival instinct in the first few balls means he either explodes or walks back immediately.
There is no in-between with Maxwell. His 19 ducks are spread across five franchises and 14 seasons, which tells you this is not about one bad run. It is built into how he plays.
In IPL 2025, he broke his joint record with Dinesh Karthik and claimed this unwanted title outright. Teams have kept buying him at auction regardless, because a batter with a strike rate of 155 and 2,819 IPL runs is worth the risk of the occasional zero.
2. Sunil Narine (KKR) — 18 Ducks in 125 Innings
Narine spent years as a mystery spinner who barely batted. Then KKR opened with him and everything changed.
Across 195 IPL matches, he has scored 1,610 runs at a strike rate of 165.84, including a highest of 109, his maiden T20 century in IPL 2024. But 18 of his 125 innings have ended without a run.
That is a duck percentage of 14.4%, the highest among the three players tied on 18 in this list. Narine’s approach as an opener is binary by design. He either connects immediately and scores at a rate that disrupts any bowling plan, or he misses and is gone before most batters have even settled.
KKR has accepted that trade-off completely. His bowling remains the primary reason he plays, but his batting at the top has changed how teams set fields and plan their powerplay against him.
3. Dinesh Karthik (DC/GL/KKR/KXIP/MI/RCB) — 18 Ducks in 234 Innings
Karthik played 257 IPL matches across six franchises from 2008 to 2024. That kind of longevity across 17 seasons will produce numbers at both ends of the scale.
His 4,842 runs at an average of 26.31 and a strike rate of 135.36 tell one story. His 18 ducks in 234 innings tell another. His role shifted dramatically over his career. In his earlier years, he batted in the top order.
Later, particularly at KKR and RCB, he became one of the most dangerous finishers in the format, walking in with two or three overs left and expected to hit from ball one.
That finisher role naturally produces more ducks than any other position in T20 batting. His duck percentage of 7.7% across 234 innings is actually modest, given the position he batted in for the second half of his career.
He retired after the 2024 season, leaving behind 4,842 runs and a reputation as one of the cleanest finishers the IPL has produced.
4. Rohit Sharma (DCH/MI) — 18 Ducks in 271 Innings
Rohit Sharma has scored 7,183 IPL runs. He has hit 2 centuries and 48 fifties. His average of 29.92 across 276 matches makes him one of the most consistent top-order batters the tournament has seen.
He also has 18 ducks, joint second on this list. Opening the batting in 271 innings means facing the new ball when it is at its hardest, the field most attacking, and the bowling at its sharpest. Over 18 seasons, those conditions will occasionally produce a first-ball dismissal.
His duck percentage of 6.6% is the lowest among the three players on 18 in this list. For context, his highest score of 109* confirms he has the range to go from zero to a century in the same tournament.
5 IPL titles as captain of Mumbai Indians sit alongside those 18 ducks. The ducks are a footnote in a record that very few batters in this list can match.
5. Rashid Khan (GT/SRH) — 16 Ducks in 70 Innings
This is the entry that stands out most on the entire list.
Rashid Khan has 16 ducks in just 70 innings. That is a duck percentage of 22.8%, comfortably the worst ratio in the top 10.
Nearly one in every four innings ends without him scoring a run. He bats between number 7 and number 9, faces death-overs bowling, and his primary value to any franchise has always been his bowling. But the numbers need context.
His highest score of 79* off 31 balls for SRH is one of the most explosive lower-order innings in IPL history.
His career strike rate of 159.42 across 70 innings shows that when he connects, he connects properly. Rashid also holds the record for the most golden ducks in IPL history, dismissed off the first ball on multiple occasions.
6. Piyush Chawla (CSK/KKR/KXIP/MI) — 16 Ducks in 92 Innings
Chawla has played 192 IPL matches, more than most specialist batters in the tournament, yet his total run tally is 624 with a highest of just 24*. His 16 ducks in 92 innings give him a duck percentage of 17.4%.
His career average of 11.14 and strike rate of 110.83 confirm that batting was never the reason any franchise paid for him.
Over 190 IPL appearances as a leg-spinner is what kept him in the tournament for 17 seasons. The 16 ducks are simply the cost of walking to the crease that many times in a format that has very little room for error at the bottom of the order.
7. Mandeep Singh (DC/KKR/KXIP/PBKS/RCB) — 15 Ducks in 98 Innings
Mandeep Singh played 111 IPL matches across five franchises without ever fully nailing down a permanent role. That instability is written into his numbers. He scored 1,706 runs at an average of 20.80 and a strike rate of 122.91 with a highest of 77*.
Fifteen ducks in 98 innings gives him a duck percentage of 15.3%. A batter who does not know whether he is opening or coming in at number five in any given match has a harder time building consistency.
He moved between franchises repeatedly, and each move brought a different role and different expectations. His six fifties across 111 matches show the talent was there.
8. Ajinkya Rahane (CSK/DC/KKR/MI/RPS/RR) — 13 Ducks in 190 Innings
Rahane has scored 5,184 runs in the IPL at an average of 30.31 and a strike rate of 125.52. Two centuries and 34 fifties from 205 matches across six franchises confirm he was one of the more reliable top-order options in the tournament across nearly two decades.
His 13 ducks in 190 innings give him a duck percentage of just 6.8%, one of the better ratios in this top 10.
His classical batting style occasionally created problems in the powerplay when conditions demanded instant aggression, and those are the moments that produced most of his early dismissals. His highest of 105* confirms the range is there.
At 205 matches and 5,184 runs, the 13 ducks are a minor statistical detail in an otherwise productive IPL career.
9. Manish Pandey (DC/KKR/LSG/MI/PWI/RCB/SRH) — 13 Ducks in 162 Innings
Seven franchises across 17 seasons. Manish Pandey holds the record for appearing for the most different IPL teams among the players on this list.
His 3,942 runs at an average of 29.41 and a strike rate of 121.51 show consistent output across a long career. Two centuries and 22 fifties from 174 matches confirm he could produce when given a settled role.
Thirteen ducks in 162 innings, a duck percentage of 8.0%, reflects the reality of batting in different positions for different teams across nearly two decades.
In a format that rewards aggression, his more measured approach sometimes produced awkward dismissals early on when the match situation demanded something he was not set up to deliver in that innings.
10. Ambati Rayudu (CSK/MI) — 14 Ducks in 187 Innings
Rayudu spent his IPL career at two franchises and built a reputation as one of the more dependable middle-order batters in the tournament.
His 4,348 runs at an average of 28.23 and a strike rate of 127.54 with a highest of 100*, tell a story of consistent contribution over 204 matches.
Fourteen ducks in 187 innings, a duck percentage of 7.5%, is entirely reasonable for a number three or four batter across that volume of matches. He regularly walked in during the powerplay after an early wicket, facing the new ball without any rhythm built up.
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Conclusion: Maxwell’s 19 Ducks Lead a List Built on Longevity
Glenn Maxwell holds the most ducks in IPL history with 19 across 141 matches. Rohit Sharma, with 7,183 IPL runs, sits joint second on 18. Dinesh Karthik, one of the greatest finishers the format has produced, is also on 18.
Rashid Khan has 16 ducks in 70 innings and remains one of the highest-valued bowlers at every auction. This list is not about failure. Every player in the top 10 has contributed more to their franchises than a duck count can measure. The zeros are simply what happens when the best players in the world show up for long enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Glenn Maxwell holds the record with 19 ducks across 135 innings in the IPL, accumulated across stints with Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rohit Sharma has 18 ducks across 271 innings in 276 IPL matches, placing him joint second on the all-time list alongside Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine.
Among the top 10 on this list, Rashid Khan has the highest duck percentage at 22.8%, with 16 ducks in just 70 innings. He bats in the lower order as a specialist bowler.
Sunil Narine has 18 ducks across 125 innings in 195 IPL matches. His duck percentage of 14.4% is the highest among the three players tied on 18 in this list.
Yes. Rohit Sharma has 2 IPL centuries despite 18 ducks. Manish Pandey has 2 centuries across 174 matches. Ajinkya Rahane has scored 2 centuries as well. Ambati Rayudu scored 1 century across 204 matches.
Not necessarily. Most players on this list have played 150 or more IPL matches and scored thousands of runs. The duck count is largely a product of longevity, batting position, and role rather than poor form or technique.
