Quick Answer: Who Has the Most Ducks in IPL History?
Glenn Maxwell has the most ducks in IPL history, with 19 ducks across 135 innings. He sits at the very top of the all-time list and has held the record for a while now.
Right behind him are three players tied on 18 ducks each: Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, and Rohit Sharma. Rohit’s 18th duck came against CSK in IPL 2025, and it pushed his name level with two of the league’s most experienced names.
It’s worth knowing that Maxwell did not register for the IPL 2026 auction, so his number is unlikely to grow this season. The same is not true for Rohit Sharma, who is still active for Mumbai Indians.
What Does a Duck Mean in Cricket?
A duck in cricket simply means a batter is dismissed without scoring a run. The name comes from the egg-shape of a zero on the scoreboard.
There are a few different types worth knowing:
- Duck: Out for 0
- Golden duck: Out on the very first ball you face
- Silver duck: Out on the second ball faced
- Diamond duck: Out without facing a single legal ball (usually run out at the non-striker’s end)
Among these, the golden duck stings the most because the batter never even gets a chance to settle.
Top 10 Players with Most Ducks in IPL History
Here is the updated IPL most ducks list as of May 1, 2026.
|
Rank |
Player |
IPL Innings |
Ducks |
Short context |
|
1 |
Glenn Maxwell |
135 |
19 |
Aggressive top-order Australian, no IPL 2026 deal |
|
2 |
Sunil Narine |
~126 |
18 |
KKR opener and pinch-hitter |
|
3 |
Dinesh Karthik |
234 |
18 |
Long career, finisher in later years |
|
4 |
Rohit Sharma |
271 |
18 |
MI legend, still active in IPL 2026 |
|
5 |
Rashid Khan |
71–72 |
16 |
Lower-order hitter, mostly Gujarat Titans |
|
6 |
Piyush Chawla |
92 |
16 |
Tailender, leg-spinner |
|
7 |
Mandeep Singh |
98 |
15 |
Shifted roles across many teams |
|
8 |
Ajinkya Rahane |
191 |
15 |
Top-order opener, current KKR captain |
|
9 |
Manish Pandey |
162 |
14 |
Middle-order batter, multiple franchises |
|
10 |
Ambati Rayudu |
187 |
14 |
Long career at MI and CSK |
This list does not mean these players are bad batters. Most of them are aggressive openers, finishers, all-rounders, or lower-order hitters who take risks for the team.
Player-by-Player Breakdown
1. Glenn Maxwell — 19 Ducks
Maxwell plays a high-risk, high-reward style. He often comes in trying to score from ball one, especially in the middle overs. That approach has produced match-winning hundreds for Punjab and RCB, but it also means he gets out cheaply more often than most. After a quiet IPL 2025, he opted out of the 2026 auction.
2. Sunil Narine — 18 Ducks
Narine became one of KKR’s most surprising opener experiments in 2017. The role asks him to attack the new ball and find boundaries early. That gives KKR explosive starts on good days and quick dismissals on the bad ones. Some sources still list him at 17 ducks, but the most recent counts have him level with Karthik and Rohit.
3. Dinesh Karthik — 18 Ducks
Karthik played in the IPL from 2008 right up to his retirement after 2024. In his RCB years he became a specialist finisher, walking in with two or three overs left and instructions to swing hard. That role naturally produces more zeros than a settled middle-order spot would.
4. Rohit Sharma — 18 Ducks
Rohit’s name on this list always surprises fans, and that’s fair. He is one of the highest run-scorers in IPL history and a five-time champion captain, which makes his presence on this list even more surprising . The simple reason for his duck count is volume. He has batted in 271 innings, more than anyone else on this list, and he opens against the new ball where swing can punish a top-edge or a leading edge in seconds.
5. Rashid Khan — 16 Ducks
Rashid usually walks in at No. 8 or 9 with a license to slog, even though he is known as one of the top wicket-taking spinners in IPL history . With only a few balls left, hitting boundaries is the whole job. The trade-off is that he gets out for zero a lot. He also leads the golden ducks list, which fits his role.
6. Piyush Chawla — 16 Ducks
Chawla is a leg-spinner first and a batter a distant second. He has 16 ducks in just 92 innings, one of the worst duck percentages in IPL history. His top score is only in the 20s, so his job was always with the ball.
7. Mandeep Singh — 15 Ducks
Mandeep moved between four different franchises and several batting positions, from opener to lower middle order. That kind of constant role change makes it hard to settle, and the duck count reflects that.
8. Ajinkya Rahane — 15 Ducks
Rahane reached 15 ducks during IPL 2026 after back-to-back failures for KKR. He is now the captain at Kolkata, but as a long-serving top-order batter he has faced thousands of new-ball deliveries. That alone explains the number.
9. Manish Pandey — 14 Ducks
Pandey has been part of the IPL since 2008 and has played for several teams. His career has had purple patches and quiet stretches, and over 162 innings, the ducks add up.
10. Ambati Rayudu — 14 Ducks
Rayudu was a key middle-order man for both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. He has more than 4,300 IPL runs and a hundred to his name. The 14 ducks are simply the other side of a long career batting at No. 3 or 4.
Most Golden Ducks in IPL History
A golden duck means a batter is dismissed on the very first ball they face. Here is the updated leaderboard.
|
Rank |
Player |
Golden Ducks |
|
1 |
Rashid Khan |
11 |
|
2 |
Glenn Maxwell |
10 |
|
3 |
Sunil Narine |
8 |
|
4 |
Dinesh Karthik |
7 |
|
5 |
Harbhajan Singh |
7 |
|
6 |
Virat Kohli |
7 |
Rashid Khan leads this list because he almost always bats in death overs with no time to settle. Maxwell, on the other hand, is high up because he attacks from ball one even in the powerplay or middle overs.
Most Ducks by Wicketkeepers in IPL
Wicketkeepers bat in many different roles: opener, anchor, or finisher. So this list tells a different story.
|
Player |
Ducks as wicketkeeper |
|
Dinesh Karthik |
16 |
|
Parthiv Patel |
10 |
|
Naman Ojha |
8 |
|
Adam Gilchrist |
7 |
|
Rishabh Pant |
7 |
|
MS Dhoni |
6 |
|
Ishan Kishan |
6 |
Dhoni’s number is striking. He has played more than 250 IPL matches, but only six ducks across that career, which speaks to his calm finishing style.
Does Having the Most Ducks in IPL Mean a Player Is Bad?
No, not at all. A high duck count usually reflects a long career, an aggressive batting role, or pressure-finishing duties.
Here are clear examples:
- Rohit Sharma is still an IPL great and one of its top run-scorers ever.
- Glenn Maxwell has match-winning centuries and is one of the highest-impact players the league has seen.
- Rashid Khan is on this list because he bats when only quick boundaries matter.
- Dinesh Karthik built his late career on pressure finishing roles that demanded risk.