Aggressive batting forms the foundation of Indian Premier League. The openers bat aggressively right from the first over, the finishers go all-out during the death overs, and even the best batters can end up scoring nothing. In cricket, a batsman is said to be out for a duck when he gets dismissed without scoring any run. In the IPL where aggressive batting is the order of the day, ducks are a necessity. But which player has the most ducks in IPL history?
Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma both end up with the most number of ducks in the IPL history with 19 each when the 2026 edition comes to an end. They are followed by Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik both of whom have been out for 18 ducks each. Rohit managed the 19th duck when he was dismissed for a duck during his last match against Rajasthan Royals of IPL 2026.
Even further into details and we see the most ducks in a single season and the most ducks as a captain. The records for the same are held by Jos Buttler and Rohit Sharma respectively. Jos has been dismissed for five ducks in a single season (2023) and Rohit for eleven as an IPL captain.
This guide highlights some of the major IPL duck records, the players who have been dismissed for the most number of ducks, the duck record per season, the captain’s duck record, the recent IPL season statistics, and what all these really mean.
Most Ducks in IPL History
The record for the most ducks in IPL history is currently shared by Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma. They both have managed to get out for a duck 19 times during their IPL career till date. This is the case for Maxwell who recorded his 19th duck in 2025, while Rohit made it to the list by being out for a duck in the last innings of IPL 2026 against the Rajasthan Royals.
Top Players With Most Ducks in IPL History
| Rank | Player | Ducks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenn Maxwell | 19 |
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 19 |
| 3 | Sunil Narine | 18 |
| 3 | Dinesh Karthik | 18 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | 16 |
| 5 | Piyush Chawla | 16 |
| 7 | Mandeep Singh | 15 |
| 8 | Ajinkya Rahane | 15 |
| 9 | Manish Pandey | 14 |
| 9 | Ambati Rayudu | 14 |
Career figures are based on records available after IPL 2026.
The list contains an interesting mix of opening batters, middle-order players and all-rounders. That is important because a high duck tally does not automatically mean a player has had a poor career.
Glenn Maxwell – 19 Ducks
Glenn Maxwell is arguably one of the most aggressive batters in contemporary T20 cricket, and this makes early dismissal more likely for him.
Maxwell has played 141 IPL matches and accumulated 2,800+ runs, including 18 fifties. Moreover, he has been dismissed for zero 19 times in his career.
Hence, Maxwell’s place at the top of this unwanted statistic requires clarification. Usually, his batting positions require him to bat aggressively in situations when his task is to score runs quickly in the first few overs.
Rohit Sharma – 19 Ducks
Rohit Sharma joined Maxwell at the top of this list in IPL 2026, getting dismissed for a four-ball duck by Jofra Archer in Mumbai Indians’ match against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium. This was the 19th duck of his IPL career.
While it certainly looks unfortunate for Rohit to share the record with Maxwell, his career statistics reveal that Rohit managed more than 7,300 runs with two hundreds and many match-winning innings. Also, his long career and the opener position have made him more exposed to ducks than others.
Sunil Narine – 18 Ducks
Sunil Narine has 18 IPL ducks and is tied with Dinesh Karthik. It is quite strange to see the name of a bowler in a batting statistic, but Sunil Narine has changed his style of play recently. Now, Kolkata Knight Riders use him as a top-order aggressive batter, and this is what increased his duck record naturally.
Dinesh Karthik – 18 Ducks
Dinesh Karthik ends his IPL career with 18 ducks in total. He participated in 257 IPL games and accumulated 4,842 runs, which makes this statistic an example of how such a record needs to be viewed carefully.
Dinesh Karthik played many different positions during his career, being an opener, wicket-keeper, middle-order batter, and even a finisher.
Most Ducks in an IPL Season
Currently, the record for the most ducks in an IPL season is owned by Jos Buttler. The Englishman managed to accumulate five ducks in IPL 2023 while playing for Rajasthan Royals.
Most Ducks in a Single IPL Season
| Player | Team | Season | Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals | 2023 | 5 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | Deccan Chargers | 2009 | 4 |
| Mithun Manhas | Pune Warriors India | 2011 | 4 |
| Manish Pandey | Pune Warriors India | 2012 | 4 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Delhi Capitals | 2020 | 4 |
| Eoin Morgan | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2021 | 4 |
| Nicholas Pooran | Punjab Kings | 2021 | 4 |
| Dinesh Karthik | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2023 | 4 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2024 | 4 |
Jos Buttler’s five ducks in 2023 were particularly unusual because he was otherwise one of Rajasthan Royals’ most important batters.
The record demonstrates how quickly a player’s fortunes can change in T20 cricket. A batter can score heavily in some matches and still accumulate several ducks during a long season.
Jos Buttler’s Five Ducks in IPL 2023
Buttler has had a bad 2023 season in comparison to his great IPL seasons in the previous years. He scored 392 runs in 14 games, but in five of his innings, he got out for zero runs. Thus, he made an unwanted record of the most ducks in IPL by any batter in a single IPL season.
Last three ducks by Jos Buttler came in consecutive three innings, which makes the record more interesting. But performances of Jos Buttler in subsequent IPL seasons have proved why a single season’s duck record cannot define the skill level of the player.
Most Ducks in IPL 2026
Although there was no new single-season duck record in IPL 2026, Ayush Badoni led the list of IPL batters of that season with three ducks. Three ducks were also registered by Abhishek Sharma.
Most Ducks in IPL 2026
| Rank | Player | Team | Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayush Badoni | Lucknow Super Giants | 3 |
| 1 | Abhishek Sharma | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3 |
| 3 | Ravi Bishnoi | Rajasthan Royals | 2 |
| 3 | Mohsin Khan | Lucknow Super Giants | 2 |
| 3 | Tim Seifert | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2 |
| 3 | Anukul Roy | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2 |
| 3 | Mohammed Shami | Lucknow Super Giants | 2 |
| 3 | Sameer Rizvi | Delhi Capitals | 2 |
| 3 | Axar Patel | Delhi Capitals | 2 |
| 3 | Suryakumar Yadav | Mumbai Indians | 2 |
Abhishek Sharma’s three IPL ducks were part of a difficult start to the 2026 season, although he recovered strongly and finished with 563 runs. This is another useful reminder that a duck does not necessarily indicate poor overall performance.
Most Ducks in IPL as a Captain
Rohit Sharma holds the record for the maximum number of ducks in IPL seasons when a player was the captain of his team in the match. He is the first IPL captain with 11 ducks under his belt.
Most Ducks as Captain in IPL
| Rank | Captain | Ducks as Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 11 |
| 2 | Gautam Gambhir | 10 |
| 3 | Adam Gilchrist | 7 |
| 3 | Shane Warne | 7 |
| 5 | Virat Kohli | 6 |
Rohit’s record is especially notable because he is also one of the most successful captains in IPL history. He led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, so the number of ducks he recorded as captain does not diminish his leadership achievements.
Rohit Sharma’s 11 Ducks as Captain
Rohit Sharma became an outright record holder in terms of the maximum number of ducks when an IPL team captain was playing in the game during the 2023 season. He was tied with Gambhir at 10 captaincy ducks before getting another duck against CSK. Thus, his record became 11.
As Rohit Sharma doesn’t hold the captaincy of MI from the 2023 season onwards, his record in IPL as captain will remain as 11 only.
Why Do Great IPL Players Have So Many Ducks?
It seems odd to see great names like Rohit Sharma, Glenn Maxwell, and Sunil Narine at the top of this unwanted record. The reason for this is straightforward; ducks depend heavily on the availability of opportunities and the batting role.
Opening Batters Face More Risk
The open batters face the new balls when bowlers can get maximum swing, seam and pace with the ball. Also, openers try to play aggressively in the powerplays where only two fielders are allowed outside the circle. Rohit Sharma has been an opener for the major part of his IPL career. Thus, he has faced a large number of balls when the danger of wickets was very high.
Aggressive Batting Produces More Low Scores
A batter who is always looking for boundaries will obviously make some mistakes. Glenn Maxwell is one such batter who is always going for boundaries. He has mostly played his role as an aggressive batter who hits boundaries right away, instead of building up his innings. Such a strategy may result in highly scoring innings as well as dismissals with low scores.
T20 Cricket Gives Batters Little Time to Settle
In the case of Test cricket, a batter can defend for a while and then get his rhythm. In the T20 format, the pressure is always there to get into the scoring. It is possible that the batter who goes for a high risk shot early in the match will get out for zero, whereas the same risk taken after settling would have helped him score some boundaries.
Duck vs Golden Duck: What Is the Difference?
Duck means the dismissal of a batter without any score on the board. Golden duck is also a type of duck. It is when the batter gets dismissed with the first ball. For instance, if a batter faces five deliveries and scores zero runs and then gets out, it means a duck but not a golden duck.
When the batter gets out in the first delivery, it will be considered a golden duck. Some more specific types of ducks also exist in cricketing terminology but these terms are rarely used in IPL context.
Does a High Duck Count Mean a Player Is a Bad Batter?
No. One should never use the high number of ducks as the only metric to evaluate a batter’s performance. Rohit Sharma is the example of a player whose stats show 19 ducks in IPL, but he has also made more than 7,300 runs and two centuries.
Similarly, Glenn Maxwell has 19 ducks in his record, but he has also made over 2,800 IPL runs at a strike rate above 155. A batter who plays many matches and takes risks is likely to have many chances to either hit big innings or get dismissed without any score.
A Better Way to Judge a Batter
Instead of looking only at ducks, consider:
- Total runs
- Batting average
- Strike rate
- Number of centuries and fifties
- Match-winning innings
- Runs per season
- Performance in pressure matches
- Role within the team
Ducks are just one part of a much larger statistical picture.
Most Consecutive Ducks in IPL
It is even more challenging to score consecutive ducks since the player is likely to feel additional pressure before his next innings. Many IPL batters have recorded three consecutive ducks. This achievement has been attained by Gautam Gambhir, Shardul Thakur, Ashton Turner, Rashid Khan and Tim Southee among others.
The worst record in terms of consecutive ducks belongs to Shardul Thakur and Ashton Turner. They have scored three consecutive golden ducks.
Most Ducks in IPL: Key Records at a Glance
| Record | Player | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Most ducks in IPL history | Glenn Maxwell & Rohit Sharma | 19 |
| Player with most ducks in IPL | Glenn Maxwell & Rohit Sharma | 19 |
| Most ducks in one IPL season | Jos Buttler | 5 |
| Most ducks in IPL as a captain | Rohit Sharma | 11 |
| Most ducks in IPL 2026 | Ayush Badoni & Abhishek Sharma | 3 |
| Most ducks by an Indian | Rohit Sharma | 19 |
| Most ducks by an overseas player | Glenn Maxwell | 19 |
| Most consecutive ducks | Several players | 3 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the most ducks in IPL history?
Who has the most ducks in a single IPL season?
Who has the most ducks as captain in IPL?
Who had the most ducks in IPL 2026?
What is a golden duck?
Conclusion
The record for the highest number of ducks in IPL history is not something to be proud about. It belongs jointly to two famous IPL players, who have 19 ducks each. Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma are leading the all-time table of ducks. Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik follow with 18. The most ducks in one IPL season are five, which were made by Jos Buttler in 2023. Another separate record is held by Rohit Sharma, who has 11 ducks as a team captain in the IPL tournaments.
The 2026 season of IPL could not bring any new single-season record. Two players scored three ducks each in this season. Those are Ayush Badoni and Abhishek Sharma. But such records do not always mean that a player is a bad batsman. Both Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell are excellent players who had very successful IPL careers.
Also, Read About: Most Wickets in IPL 2026 | Most Sixes in IPL 2026