MS Dhoni (L) and Virat Kohli (R) (Source: AFP)
In its 18-year history across 18 editions, the IPL has produced many cricketing icons and legends. Apart from that, the league has also witnessed some young talents rising at the highly competitive platform in the world's most expensive and lucrative franchise cricket league.
Meanwhile, there have been the IPL legends who played consistently for a long time, representing either a single franchise team or multiple teams throughout their career in the league.
Hence, here’s a look at the top five players who have played the most matches in IPL history.
Top 5 players with most matches in IPL history
MS Dhoni - 278 Matches
Former CSK skipper and legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is one of the few players still active in the IPL since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2008. He has represented two franchises, CSK and Rising Pune Supergiants, in his 18-season career in the tournament.
In these appearances, Dhoni has played 278 games, scoring 5439 runs in 242 innings at an average of 38.30, hitting 24 half-centuries. He is currently placed at the top spot in the list of the top five players with the most matches in the league’s history.
Besides this, Dhoni is one of the only two skippers to win the five IPL titles as captain, including the highest number of wins as captain.
Rohit Sharma - 272 Matches
The former five-time IPL-winning skipper for the Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma, has been in the list of both most successful batters and captains in the tournament’s history.
Apart from that, he has featured in 272 games, including his stint with Deccan Chargers in the first three editions, followed by his association with MI since 2011. Currently, the Hitman ranks second in the list of players with the most matches in the tournament’s history.
In these 272 appearances, he has batted in 267 innings, scoring 7046 runs at an average of 29.72, hitting two centuries and 47 half-centuries. The 38-year-old is also the second leading run-scorer of all time in IPL history.
Virat Kohli - 267 Matches
The former RCB skipper and the modern-day batting great, Virat Kohli, is the only player in the entire IPL history to play for one franchise team since the tournament’s first edition in 2008. Kohli has represented RCB in 267 games, including last year’s title-winning season.
In these 267 games, Kohli has aggregated 8,661 runs in 259 innings at an average of 39.54, including eight centuries and 63 half-centuries. Kohli is third in the list of players with the most matches in IPL history, alongside being the leading run-scorer of all time.
Dinesh Karthik - 257 Matches
The former India wicketkeeper-batter, Dinesh Karthik, was one of the few players to represent multiple franchise teams in the IPL. Karthik featured in 257 games in his career from 2008 to the 2024 edition.
He played for six teams, including the likes of Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Lions, Punjab Kings, KKR, Mumbai Indians, and RCB. In his 257 appearances, Karthik scored 4842 runs in 234 innings at an average of 26.31, including 22 half-centuries. He is placed at the fourth spot in the list of the 5 players with the most matches in IPL history.
Ravindra Jadeja - 254 Matches
In the upcoming IPL 2026, the former CSK all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, is set to be in action for his first-ever IPL franchise, the Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, he has also represented the Gujarat Lions and Kochi Tuskers Kerala in his career.
Representing four franchises in his career, Jadeja has played 254 games, scoring 3260 runs with the bat, hitting five half-centuries in 198 innings. Besides that, he has scalped 170 wickets in 225 innings, claiming three four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul.
The veteran all-rounder is fifth among the top five players with the most matches in IPL history.
