Most Matches Played in IPL

Getting an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract is not easy. With the top names of the cricketing world fighting it out to earn a lucrative deal from the IPL franchises, only a handful of players manage to earn the contracts.

While some players have even struggled to get an IPL contract, especially regularly, several players have consistently played in the tournament. Some players are playing in the tournament since the inaugural season in 2008. Some players are playing for the same franchise for more than a decade.

It is not surprising that most of those players are now considered the legends of the IPL. They have been performing consistently for their respective franchises and are proud owners of several records. One such player also holds the record for playing most matches in the IPL.

Enjoying such a long career is also a testament to a player’s longevity, fitness, and sustained performance. In a tournament where a handful of poor performances could cost the players their contract, these players have delivered consistently.

The long career also shows the players' love for the tournament. One such example is none other than MS Dhoni. Even though the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman has retired from international cricket, he has continued playing in the IPL.

Dhoni has been playing in the IPL since the inaugural season in 2008. Some other players who have played in all the seasons of the IPL so far are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik.

The record for playing most matches in the IPL is held by Dhoni. The former India skipper has played 264 games in the tournament so far. Barring the two seasons when Chennai Super Kings were suspended, he has played only for the Chennai-based outfit in the IPL.

During the two suspended seasons, he plied his trade for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. Dhoni is also one of the most decorated captains in the history of the IPL. Under his captaincy, Chennai Super Kings have won a record five IPL titles.

Dhoni is followed by Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma. Both the players have played 257 games in the IPL. With Karthik retiring from the IPL after the 2024 season, Rohit is set to move ahead of him when he plays his first game in IPL 2025.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja complete the top five. Apart from Dhoni, Rohit and Karthik, Kohli is the only other player to play more than 250 games in the IPL.

Most Matches Played

No	Player	M	Runs	HS	W
1	MS Dhoni (CSK,RPS)	271	5373	84	-
2	Rohit Sharma (DEC,MI)	260	6654	109	15
3	Virat Kohli (RCB)	258	8252	113	4
4	Dinesh Karthik (DC,GL,KKR,MI,PBKS,RCB)	257	4842	97	-
5	Ravindra Jadeja (CSK,GL,KOCHI,RR)	247	3051	62	164
6	Shikhar Dhawan (DC,DEC,MI,PBKS,SRH)	222	6769	106	4
7	Ravichandran Ashwin (CSK,DC,PBKS,RPS,RR)	218	812	50	185
8	Suresh Raina (CSK,GL)	205	5528	100	25
9	Robin Uthappa (CSK,KKR,MI,PWI,RCB,RR)	205	4952	88	-
10	Ambati Rayudu (CSK,MI)	204	4348	100	-
11	Piyush Chawla (CSK,KKR,MI,PBKS)	192	624	24	192
12	Ajinkya Rahane (CSK,DC,KKR,MI,RPS,RR)	192	4863	105	1
13	Kieron Pollard (MI)	189	3412	87	69
14	AB de Villiers (DC,RCB)	184	5162	133	-
15	David Warner (DC,SRH)	184	6565	126	-
16	Sunil Narine (KKR)	183	1664	109	187
17	Bhuvneshwar Kumar (PWI,RCB,SRH)	180	306	27	187
18	Yusuf Pathan (KKR,RR,SRH)	174	3204	100	42
19	Sanju Samson (DC,RR)	174	4560	119	-
20	Manish Pandey (DC,KKR,LSG,MI,PWI,RCB,SRH)	171	3850	114	-
21	Wriddhiman Saha (CSK,GT,KKR,PBKS,SRH)	170	2934	115	-
22	Yuzvendra Chahal (MI,PBKS,RCB,RR)	166	37	8	211
23	Harbhajan Singh (CSK,KKR,MI)	163	833	64	150
24	Amit Mishra (DC,DEC,LSG,SRH)	162	381	31	174
25	Dwayne Bravo (CSK,GL,MI)	161	1560	70	183
26	Suryakumar Yadav (KKR,MI)	156	3833	103	-
27	Axar Patel (DC,PBKS)	156	1754	66	123
28	Gautam Gambhir (DC,KKR)	154	4217	93	-
29	Umesh Yadav (DC,GT,KKR,RCB)	148	208	24	144
30	Faf du Plessis (CSK,DC,RCB,RPS)	148	4652	96	-
31	Shane Watson (CSK,RCB,RR)	145	3874	117	92
32	Chris Gayle (KKR,PBKS,RCB)	142	4965	175	18
33	Hardik Pandya (GT,MI)	142	2608	91	74
34	Glenn Maxwell (DC,MI,PBKS,RCB)	140	2812	95	41
35	Parthiv Patel (CSK,DEC,KOCHI,MI,RCB,SRH)	139	2848	81	-
36	David Miller (GT,LSG,PBKS,RR)	137	3021	101	-
37	KL Rahul (DC,LSG,PBKS,RCB,SRH)	137	4921	132	-
38	Jasprit Bumrah (MI)	135	68	16	166
39	Andre Russell (DC,KKR)	134	2518	88	120
40	Sandeep Sharma (PBKS,RR,SRH)	134	60	9	142
41	Krunal Pandya (LSG,MI,RCB)	133	1670	86	84
42	Yuvraj Singh (DC,MI,PBKS,PWI,RCB,SRH)	132	2750	83	36
43	Mayank Agarwal (DC,PBKS,RCB,RPS,SRH)	127	2661	106	-
44	Rashid Khan (GT,SRH)	127	567	79	153
45	Lasith Malinga (MI)	122	88	17	170
46	Shreyas Iyer (DC,KKR,PBKS)	122	3377	97	-
47	Deepak Hooda (CSK,LSG,PBKS,RR,SRH)	120	1472	64	10
48	Praveen Kumar (GL,MI,PBKS,RCB,SRH)	119	344	34	90
49	Mohit Sharma (CSK,DC,GT,PBKS)	118	125	21	134
50	Rishabh Pant (DC,LSG)	118	3387	128	-

M: Matches,

W: Won,

L: Lost,

T: Tie,

N/R: No Result,

PTS: Points,

Net RR: Net run rate,

Q: Qualified

Most Matches Played in IPL FAQs

MS Dhoni holds the record for playing most matches in the IPL. The former India skipper has played in all the seasons of the IPL so far. He has represented Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant in the tournament. Dhoni has played 264 games in the IPL so far.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar played in the IPL from 2008 to 2013. He played all the six seasons for Mumbai Indians. During his illustrious career, the former India batsman played 78 games in the IPL and scored 2334 runs with the help of a century and 13 half-centuries.

MS Dhoni has played most matches for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. The former India skipper has played 230 games for the franchise so far.

Rohit Sharma has played most matches for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He has played 212 games for them so far. Rohit started his career with now-defunct Deccan Chargers before being signed up by Mumbai Indians in 2011.