IPL 2023: Players with most catches in tournament

Shimron Hetmyer (Photo Source : Twitter)

Fielding is one of the most important aspects for teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the 15 years of the league, there have been several instances when fielders won the hearts of fans by taking some incredible stunners. There was a time when legendary batters Suresh Raina, Kieron Pollard, and AB de Villers not only used to serve their respective teams brilliantly with their batting talent but also their fielding skills.

In the ongoing 2023 edition of the league, there are some players who have displayed their agility throughout the tournament and have become the best fielders for their respective teams. So far in this year’s competition, their brilliance has helped them to make it to the chart of fielders with the most catches in the season. 

Here are the players with the most catches in IPL 2023

5. Deepak Hooda – 10 catches

For Deepak Hooda, this season was a nightmare as an all-rounder as he failed to provide anything solid to his team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in both the batting and bowling departments. With 84 runs and no wickets in 12 matches, he emerged as one of the biggest failures for LSG.

However, one domain where he excelled this year was fielding. While serving Super Giants in the season, he came out as the best fielder for the team with ten grabs. In the 26th game, Hooda also won the Catch of the Match award for taking a stunner just a few inches away from the boundary rope to dismiss Rajasthan Royals’ batter, Dhruv Jurel.

In LSG’s five-wicket over against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 10th match of the competition, Hooda delivered a top-notch fielding performance with his couple of catches to get rid of Washington Sundar and Adil Rashid.

4. Shimron Hetmyer – 11 catches

Shimron Hetmyer (Photo Source : Twitter)

IPL 2022 runners-up, Rajasthan Royals (RR), ended their 2023 season in fifth position, getting deprived of a spot in the playoffs. However, despite RR’s unsuccessful campaign, their fans have something to smile about as their young opening batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, emerged as one of the highest run-scorers in the competition.

Along with Jaiswal, another RR stalwart delivered a solid performance on the field. Shimron Hetmyer, who delivered a few match-winning batting performances to the Royals this season, is currently the fourth most successful fielder in this league edition with 11 catches in 14 games.

In RR’s one-sided win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Hetmyer became the recipient of the Catch of the Match award for his sensational screamer at the deep square leg to send dangerous Jason Roy back to the pavilion. Ahead of the KKR game, he won the same award at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for dismissing Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Glenn Phillips with his spectacular catch under pressure.

3. Aiden Markram – 11 catches

Aiden Markram Catch ( Photo Source : BCCI/IPL)

Aiden Markram failed to live up to the expectations as both batter and skipper. With 248 runs in 13 innings, he couldn’t justify his role in the team. While talking about his captaincy performance under the Protea, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) delivered one of the worst performances of the IPL, ending up at the bottom of the table with only four wins in 14 matches.   

While among these bleak scenes, the SRH captain has become one of the best fielders of IPL 2023, with 11 catches in 13 games. In a couple of games, he also fetched the Catch of the Match award for his magnificent stunners. In match 25, he assisted Marco Jansen to dismiss Mumbai Indians’ Suryakumar Yadav with his fine catch at the mid-off.

After the game against Mumbai, he received the coveted award again in match 47, held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. This time, he dismissed Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana on his own delivery with his exceptional running catch. 

2. Virat Kohli – 13 Catches

Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Virat Kohli put up an extraordinary show with his bat for his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Along with his skipper, Faf du Plessis, the India batting maestro looked brilliant and amassed 639 runs with a couple of tons and six fifties in 14 innings of 14 matches at a strike rate of 139.82.

Along with his bat, the veteran also bolstered the team with his remarkable fielding displays. Playing all 14 league games, Kohli took 13 catches and became the fielder with the second-most catches in the season. In RCB’s intriguing 18-run win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in match 43 at the Ekana Stadium, Kohli assisted with a couple of grabs.

While in RCB’s triumphs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in both contests of the competition, he served his team marvellously as a fielder with his two catches in each game. In match 32 against Rajasthan, he caught Yashasvi Jaiswal on Harshal Patel’s delivery and became the third fielder to complete 100 catches in the league.

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad – 16 Catches

Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema)

Ruturaj Gaikwad has performed fabulously as an opener for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Piling up 564 in 14 innings, he emerged as the second-leading run-getter in his squad, following his teammate and opening partner, Devon Conway. In the inaugural game of IPL 2023, the right-handed batter started his season with confidence, notching up 92 off 50 against Gujarat Titans.

After one and a half months of T20 action, Gaikwad has come out as the most efficient fielder for CSK, as he is ruling the most catches chart of IPL 2023, with 16 catches in 15 matches. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), CSK got an eight-run triumph in the nail-biting contest at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In that game, Gaikwad failed to turn up against bowlers but looked solid on the field and took a couple of catches to remove Mahipal Lomror and Shahbaz Ahmed.

In Qualifier 1 against GT, Gaikwad became the Player of the Match as he stepped up with his bat and delivered a 60-run knock to his team off just 44 deliveries. After exuding confidence with his bat, the CSK stalwart also took a diving catch at deep mid-wicket to get rid of the dangerous Vijay Shankar. For his outstanding stunner, he also got the Catch of the Match award at the end of the game.