IPL is the most competitive franchise league cricket to exist in the modern day and for a batter to score runs in this league is not easy. Auctions happen every season and you have to be at your absolute best to get picked by a team. It is the survival of the fittest as only those batsmen who thrive in pressure situations can be a constant in the long run.
While we take a look at the batsman who has played the most dots in IPL history, we can be sure that every batsman in this list is of the finest quality and among the modern-day greats of the game. Top-class batsmen often take their own time to get adjusted to the pitch conditions and as a result, they end up playing a couple of dots every innings. Let’s take a look at the top 10 batsmen with the most dots played in IPL history (as of IPL 2024):
Top 10 Batsman With The Most Dots in IPL History
| SR No | Player | Team | Wkts | Dots | Mat | O | M | Runs | BBI | 4w | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 182 | 1679 | 177 | 653 | 14 | 4949 | 5/19 | 2 | 27.19 |
| 2 | Sunil Narine | KKR | 181 | 1615 | 179 | 686 | 3 | 4630 | 5/19 | 7 | 25.58 |
| 3 | Ravichandran Ashwin | CSK | 183 | 1581 | 215 | 763 | 4 | 5469 | 4/34 | 1 | 29.89 |
| 4 | Piyush Chawla | MI | 192 | 1337 | 192 | 640 | 2 | 5108 | 4/17 | 2 | 26.60 |
| 5 | Jasprit Bumrah | MI | 165 | 1269 | 133 | 506 | 8 | 3714 | 5/10 | 2 | 22.51 |
| 6 | Harbhajan Singh | KKR | 150 | 1268 | 163 | 569 | 6 | 4030 | 5/18 | 1 | 26.87 |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja | CSK | 161 | 1250 | 243 | 644 | 2 | 4932 | 5/16 | 3 | 30.63 |
| 8 | Yuzvendra Chahal | PBKS | 206 | 1241 | 162 | 592 | 4 | 4672 | 5/40 | 6 | 22.68 |
| 9 | Umesh Yadav | GT | 144 | 1203 | 148 | 508 | 5 | 4296 | 4/23 | 3 | 29.83 |
| 10 | Amit Mishra | LSG | 174 | 1191 | 162 | 561 | 6 | 4149 | 5/17 | 4 | 23.84 |
10. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is quite renowned for his successful captaincy stint at KKR, leading the franchise to two IPL titles. Gambhir is a batsman who plays comparatively on the slower side but steps up when his team needs him. He has played 1237 dot balls in 151 innings, scoring 4217 runs at a strike rate of 123.88.
9. MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, popularly known for his explosive finishing abilities in the death and his wicket-keeping skills. Despite coming out to bat in the middle order, his name still appears on the list among the top 10 players who has played the most dot balls. He is the most successful captain in IPL history with 5 titles to his name. MS Dhoni has played 1277 dot balls in 3776 balls, scoring 5177 runs at a strike rate of 137.10.
8. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina, also known as Mr IPL, is one of the best batsmen ever to have played in the IPL and has played many match-winning knocks for CSK in his tenure. He had been the backbone of the CSK batting unit until he went unsold in the IPL 2022 auction. Raina has played 1345 dot balls from over 200 innings and he has scored 5528 runs at a strike rate of 136.69.
7. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane who is currently leading the Kolkata Knight Riders is a consistent batsman who has been proving his worth time and time again with the bat. Rahane was India’s pillar of strength in the middle order in red-ball cricket for quite a long time until the management decided to turn their heads towards the youngsters. Rahane has played 1345 dot balls from 167 innings, scoring 4570 runs at a strike rate of 123.41.
6. Chris Gayle
Christopher Henry Gayle also known as the Universe Boss, comes as quite a surprise in this list considering his power-hitting abilities and ball striking. He even holds the record for the highest-ever individual score in IPL history and for the most number of sixes in an innings. Gayle is also considered as one of the greatest West Indian T20 batsman in history. Gayle has played 1465 dot balls in 141 innings, scoring 4965 runs at a strike rate of 149.
5. Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa, a fine wicket-keeper batsman who has played in the IPL for several seasons falls 5th on the list. Robin has played as a top-order batsman in his entire career and has made significant impacts in whichever franchise he has played for. Uthappa has played 1472 dot balls in 197 innings, scoring runs 4952 at a strike rate of 130.35.
4. David Warner
David Warner is one of the most consistent batsman that IPL has ever witnessed as he has crossed the 500-run mark in many seasons. He also was the SRH captain who led his side to its maiden title in 2016. He has been arguably one of the best overseas batsman to ever grace the IPL stage. Warner has played 1722 dot balls in 183 innings, amassing 6564 runs at a strike rate of 139.80.
3. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is one of India’s finest talents and has captained the Mumbai Indians for a long time and led the side to five IPL titles. Rohit’s aggressive approach at the top order has made an indelible mark in cricket history and his intent has made him one of the most dangerous batsman to bowl to. Rohit Sharma has played 1865 dot balls in 246 innings, scoring runs 6522 at a strike rate of 131.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan had been a consistent performer at the top order for India in limited-overs cricket and a key player in the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals side. Dhawan holds the record for scoring the most fours in the IPL ever. Dhawan has played several key knocks and is a proven match-winner. Shikhar has played 1977 dot balls in 221 innings, scoring 6769 runs at a strike rate of 127.14.
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, arguably the greatest player of all time and the only player in the history of the tournament to play for only one franchise in his entire career. He is yet to win an IPL title but has set records that are almost impossible to break. In the 2016 IPL season, Virat amassed 972 runs while scoring 7 fifties and 4 hundreds, justifying his title “The Run Machine”. Virat is also the all-time leading run scorer of the IPL. He has played 1986 dot balls in 239 innings, scoring 7763 runs at a strike rate of 131.02.
