Who Is the IPL Best Fielder? Find Out the Player With the Safest Hands in T20 Cricket

The intense cricketing action of the Indian Premier League can bring the world to a standstill. While the contest between bat and ball is what drives cricket, fielders can decide outcomes with moments of brilliance. But who are the players that have lit up the IPL auction with their fielding?

Read on to find out the top 10 best fielders in IPL and how the information can help you dazzle the field of IPL betting with Parimatch.

Top 10 IPL Best Fielder

IPL is a global phenomenon, and it is not surprising that the list of the best fielders features spectacular cricketers from all over the world. Find out who is the best of the best.

AB de Villiers (DC, RCB)

• Career: National Side (2004-2018), IPL (2008-2021)
• Country: South Africa
• Test Catches: 222
• ODI Catches: 176
• T20I Catches: 65

Meet the Messiah of fielding, AB de Villiers! He moved like a gazelle on the cricketing field. He was the best at mid-off or long-on, at slips, or as a wicket keeper. De Villiers’ exceptional batting empowered him to read the game better than anyone else.

He would then position himself accordingly on the field. The ‘Superman’ formed a potent duo with Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He owns 90 IPL catches (and 26 other catches as a wicket keeper).

With a record 25 man of the match awards, he also leads the pack with the highest number of catches in one IPL season (19 catches in the 2016 edition). The solitary overseas player to play every IPL season since its birth finally ran out of gas to announce his retirement in Nov 2021.

This recital can’t end without mentioning ABD’s leap of faith at a deep mid-wicket boundary during the game against SRH in 2018. His surreal single-handed grab dismissed Alex Hales and changed the course of the game for RCB. The dean of death overs was inducted into the Hall of fame by RCB in 2021.

Kieron Pollard (MI)

• Career: National Side (2007-2022), IPL (2010-Present)
• Country: West Indies
• ODI Catches: 64
• T20I Catches: 42

The Big Man endows bountiful on-field records for his Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise. Polly is one of the only two players (Virat Kohli plays for RCB only) who have played for a single franchise throughout their IPL stints. His towering exploits in the six IPL finals for MI canʼt be overlooked.

He averages 45 with a staggering strike rate of 195.65 in these finals. Besides being the six-hitting machine (222 sixes), he carries the best individual innings strike rate of 346.15 for his franchise. The cult T20 specialist has never played in Test cricket. He is the true dangerous fielder in the IPL.

A brilliant fielder, his 15 catches in the 2017 edition remain third best in all calendar years of IPL. The safe house is the second-best on the IPL charts, with 103 catches. With just six short of Suresh Raina (109 catches), the stage looks set for him to lead the board post-Raina’s retirement news in Sep 2022.

Fans witnessed one of the most outstanding IPL catches when Pollard grabbed a boundary-line one-hander to dismiss Kevon Cooper in a 2014 IPL match with Rajasthan Royals. He almost touched the boundary but released the ball in the air before doing so. He then dived back inside to complete the catch legitimately.

Virat Kohli (RCB)

• Career: National Side (2008-Present), IPL (2008-Present)
• Country: India
• Test Catches: 102
• ODI Catches: 138
• T20I Catches: 48

The run-machine from India, King Kohli, has remained an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise since the inception of IPL in 2008. He is currently the leading scorer in IPL’s history (6,624 runs). Also, he holds the record for most runs in a series (973 runs in the 2016 edition). His rare batting failures are often compensated with his electrifying fielding skills for the team.

Kohli’s ability to bring the crowd together with his on-field flair is rare expertise available in world cricket today. Bogging down batsman or pumping up the bowler with loud crowd cheering is part of his strategic fielding wisdom. He is genuinely the best fielder in India.

The aggressive fielder has taken some screamers on his way to 94 IPL catches. He stunned the opposition, teammates, and fans with his one-handed grab to dismiss Rishabh Pant during the match between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022. A charging DC team lost both rhythm and the game by 16 runs.

Suresh Raina (CSK, GT)

• Career: National Side (2005-2018), IPL (2008-2021)
• Country: India
• Test Catches: 23
• ODI Catches: 102
• T20I Catches: 42

IPL or no IPL, no fielding locket can be laced together unless it includes this jewel. Raina revolutionized the fielding standards in India with his electric in-circle fielding vigor. The safest pair of hands rarely dropped any catch in his IPL career. The chirpy and bubbly all-rounder habitually converted even half chances and hit the bullseye with his rocket throws.

While there is barely any memoir where Mr. IPL has not got his name registered, his best is often reflected through his fielding efforts. His 109 fantastic catches (most by any player in IPL) and 5,528 runs, along with 25 wickets, make him one of the top all-rounders in IPL. Ironically, Raina remained unsold in the 2022 IPL.

A special mention of the 2016 IPL match between Gujrat Lions (GL) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Fielding first, Raina took a gravity-defying blinder at the first slip to dismiss Surya Kumar Yadav. His goal-keeper style grabs reduced KKR to 24/4, losing the match by 5 wickets to Lions.

Faf Du Plessis (CSK, RPS, RCB)

• Career: National Side (2011-Present), IPL (2011-Present)
• Country: South Africa
• Test Catches: 63
• ODI Catches: 81
• T20I Catches: 24

This highly-rated all-format batter in modern-day cricket is also a panther on the field. The mental toughness of this dedicated fielder was once ratified when he carried on fielding with his bleeding knee during a match against KKR in IPL 2021. He once confirmed that he is always mentally ready for the ball to come his way.

A master technician in diving and target throwing, he cherishes grabbing screamers at long-on or long-off field positions. Faf has 70 IPL catches to his credit so far. He took a second-attempt stunner at the long-on boundary during the KKR match in 2021 to dismiss Eoin Morgan. It remains just one of the many memorable moments he has churned out for his craving fans.

The big-ticket South African was an obvious choice to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side once the franchise unveiled him post-IPL 2022 auction.

Ravindra Jadeja (RR, KTK, GT, CSK)

• Career: National Side (2009-Present), IPL (2008-Present)
• Country: India
• Test Catches: 39
• ODI Catches: 63
• T20I Catches: 24

World-class “Sir Jadeja” is sure to find his name at the vertex of any fielding manual penned so far. The swordsman was nicknamed “Rockstar” by the legendary Shane Warne for his winning all-around contribution in IPL 2008 for Rajasthan Royals.

Owning that extra nanosecond on the field is the hallmark of this spectacular fielder. Jaddu’s rocket arm and outstanding catching abilities have turned the tide on numerous occasions for his franchise.

Several of his 88 IPL catches are deeply embedded in the minds of his avid fans. The latest was his mid-air pounce in IPL 2021 to dismiss Chris Gayle in the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Gayle’s mishit was converted into a catch by a flying Jadeja.

This happened after he ran out the PBKS captain KL Rahul with his bullet throw. PBKS’ morale was shattered, and they managed to score just 106 in their 20 overs. CSK won convincingly by 6 wickets. He has forced the maximum run-outs (23) in the IPL history.

Steve Smith (RPS, RR, DC)

• Career: National Side (2010-Present), IPL (2010-Present)
• Country: Australia
• Test Catches: 141
• ODI Catches: 77
• T20I Catches: 39

This elite Test batsman has excellent fielding aptitude as well. His candid slip-catching got him truckloads of victims all across the globe. When guarding the boundary, his numerous grab-bag moments have inflicted heavy losses on the opposition.

His full-length run from mid-off to grab a skier of David Warner’s blade during an IPL 2018 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) remains one of the many fielding marvels delivered by Smithy. The radiant player has pouched 53 IPL catches so far.

The Australian suffered a dip in form for consecutive IPL seasons in 2020-21. Consequently, the ruthless IPL auction saw him remain unsold for the 2022 series.

Glenn Maxwell (DC, MI, PBKS, RCB)

• Career: National Side (2012-Present), IPL (2012-Present)
• Country: Australia
• Test Catches: 5
• ODI Catches: 79
• T20I Catches: 39

Maxi has outrun many batters with his deadly shy at the stumps. He is a superb all-rounder and a sharpshooter at work. His boundary riding or catching brilliance at points or covers often remains the decisive factor between two matching rivals. Tagged as the safest fielder in any line-up, The Big Show remains the Kohinoor of all IPL auctions. Many fierce bidding wars have seen Maxwell at the helm of them.

In 2021, Maxwell made his maiden appearance for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise. He lit up the fate of RCB and top scored for them with 513 runs at a staggering 144.10 strike rate. However, his best was yet to come.

Playing against Gujrat Titans (GT) in 2022, Maxi bowled a maiden, took a wicket, and then scored an 18-ball 40 to keep RCB in the playoffs. The icing on the cake was his sensational slip catch to dismiss Shubman Gill. He later attributed it to the years of hard work and effort in his fielding attributes.

It wasn’t just out of the blue. He has a total of 40 IPL catches in his closet.

Shakib Al Hasan (KKR, SRH)

• Career: National Side (2006-Present), IPL (2011-2021)
• Country: Bangladesh
• Test Catches: 25
• ODI Catches: 52
• T20I Catches: 22

How can the list miss the number one ODI all-rounder today! Moyna is also the leading wicket-taker in T20I with 122 wickets (going into the T20 World Cup 2022). An astute cricketer, he is a family name across this cricket-fanatic nation. An obvious pick for IPL by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he is the most successful Bangladeshi player in the league.

Despite taking only a handful of catches (14) in IPL so far, this ultra-aggressive fielder still books his slot on this list. His passionate commitment and hunger to improve with each passing game. This is especially relevant when the sub-continent ground conditions were not considered conducive for fielding.

The 2021 IPL match against Delhi Capitals (DC) witnessed a stunner taken by Shakib at a backward point. Faysal made a full-length goal-keeper-style dive to grab the ball off Shikhar Dhawan’s bat. The wicket broke on the DC’s juggernaut, and KKR won the match.

David Warner (DC, SRH)

• Career: National Side (2009-Present), IPL (2009-Present)
• Country: Australia
• Test Catches: 77
• ODI Catches: 61
• T20I Catches: 53

Have you ever seen anyone escaping the raging Bull of T20 cricket? Well, it still is a rare sight in world cricket. The daddy of fielding remains the most intimidating woe for his opponents. His bullet throws from the boundary line hit the bullseye more often than not. The fighter never gives up on a ball chase under any circumstances.

A versatile fielder, he keeps floating on the field depending on the match situation. He has gulped 74 IPL catches so far.

Leading the pack with the most IPL half-centuries (55), he is one of the tournament’s top 3 batsmen (5,881 runs). The fastest to 5,000 runs, he has held the Orange Cap for a record 3 times (2015,2017,2019).

The 2022 match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) saw one of the best fielding efforts by David Warner. He lunged forward at long-off to grab the catch of Jitesh Sharma, who was going great guns for PBKS. The dismissal broke the tempo, and PBKS fell short by 17 runs.

FAQ

Who is the best fielder in the IPL?

Suresh Raina is the overall best fielder in the IPL, thanks to his 109 catches.

Who is the dangerous fielder in the IPL?

Ravindra Jadeja is the most dangerous fielder in the IPL.

Which team has the best fielders in the IPL?

Royal Challengers Bangalore has the best fielders in the IPL.

Who is the best fielder in IPL 2022?

Riyan Parag is the best fielder in IPL 2022 with 17 catches.

Who is the best fielder?

AB de Villiers is the number one fielder.

Who is the best fielder in India?

Virat Kohli is India’s best fielder.

Final Words

Great fielders can turn the game around in a second, which means you need to keep track of the electrifying players mentioned above. If one of the top 10 IPL best fielders is playing, you need to track the scores and odds closely. Leave that to Parimatch.

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