A cricket team is incomplete without a reliable wicketkeeper. A team can have a bowler or a batter less, but they can’t go out without the best keeper.
Back in the day, their role was limited to keeping the wickets. But now they need to double up as efficient batters.
And the IPL teams know this quite well. Thus, they have invested in some of the finest wicketkeepers for the IPL 2026 season.
Here we’ll list five of the best wicketkeepers playing in the IPL 2026 season.
5. Rishabh Pant | Lucknow Super Giants
After eight seasons with Delhi Capitals (DC), Rishabh Pant has found a new home in Lucknow Super Giants. He is leading the Lucknow-based franchise along with keeping the wickets.
Pant is among the top five wicketkeepers with the most dismissals in IPL history. That makes him a trustworthy player behind the wickets. His record reads 98 dismissals, which includes 75 catches and 23 stumpings.
Along with that, Pant can be a basher in the middle order. Once he gets going, it’s hard to stop him.
Read Also:- Top 5 Players with Most Runs for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL History
4. Heinrich Klaasen | Sunrisers Hyderabad
Heinrich Klaasen is the most destructive batter in the T20 circuit right now. And the IPL has also seen his carnage.
But his batting kind of overshadows his keeping skills. Klaasen is a reliable guy with the gloves. And he has been doing the job for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) since 2023.
He has 21 wicketkeeping dismissals, including 14 catches and seven stumpings. Having a keeper-batter like Heinrich Klaasen is the stuff of dreams for any team.
3. KL Rahul | Delhi Capitals
KL Rahul has the safest pair of hands behind the wickets. He is a reliable keeper-batter with a calm head on his shoulders.
Rahul is turning up for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025 after he departed from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). And being the most experienced keeper-batter in the DC camp, he has been tasked with the keeping duties.
Rahul has an impressive record as a wicketkeeper in the IPL, with 64 dismissals to his name. Moreover, he can bat at any position and return with good knocks.
2. Quinton de Kock | Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have entrusted Quinton de Kock with the keeping duties in IPL 2025. And he seems to be doing a fine job with the gloves as well as the bat.
Coming into the season, De Kock had two poor outings in the last two editions. But he has started with an unbeaten 97-run knock this year.
Plus, his wicketkeeping record is also brilliant in the league. The South African has 82 dismissals, including 66 catches and 16 stumpings.
1. MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings
There’s no one better in business than MS Dhoni. The IPL has turned 18, and Dhoni is still the best wicketkeeper to feature in the league.
His wicketkeeping technique and records speak for themselves. Dhoni still has the quickest hands behind the stumps at the age of 43.
He can stump out a batter within a matter of a few seconds while his reflexes are as fine as they get. MSD has 201 wicketkeeping dismissals in the IPL thus far, which includes 154 catches and 47 stumpings.
And on top of that, he can light up a game with his late-batting cameos for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
