A wicketkeeper's job is not only to dismiss from behind the stumps but also to make runs whenever he gets a chance to bat

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is less than a week away, and enough has been written about bowlers and batters for the upcoming edition. However, an important cog has been missed by the majority of media outlets: wicketkeepers. Ahead of the first game, check out our top wicketkeepers for the 18th edition of the tourney.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

At the age of 43, MS Dhoni is the Best Wicket Keeper in the World 💥

0.14S - Surya Kumar Yadav
0.15S - Phil Salt #CSKvsRCB pic.twitter.com/u5u81K8i96

— Fan Account Richard Kettlebourogh (@RichKettle07) March 28, 2025

As long as Dhoni is active in the IPL, it is impossible not to put him in the top place. After all, despite his age, he ended up with the third most dismissals from behind the stumps last season. Over the years, his ability to fire the ball away has become a concern, and last season, his average was only 24.50 in 14 matches. Therefore, Chennai may use him only when no other batting options are available.

With Sanju Samson as a full-time wicket-keeping option, can CSK use MS Dhoni as an impact player this season? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/8BXvsmFMIJ

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 21, 2026

Dhoni’s presence in the team also puts Sanju Samson away from the wicketkeeper position, and if it wasn’t for Dhoni, we would’ve picked Samson for sure. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni sits out and gives Sanju Samson the chance to take over his role.

Rishabh Pant

Sunil Gavaskar " if you compare the wk-keeping abilities then Rishabh Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Sanju Samson.We’re not talking about batting here, the batting aspect also comes into play. But, Pant in the last few matches has batted really well."pic.twitter.com/Mx35DZJbix

— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) June 2, 2024

Pant has been away from India’s ODI and T20 units for a long time, and therefore, this year will be a make-or-break season for him. The Roorkee-based player has a great team at his disposal, and he must guide them to the playoffs with his captaincy skills. However, Pant needs his bat to do the talking in T20 just like it does in red-ball cricket. We firmly believe he will be effective behind the stumps because he is one of those players who enjoys his multi-dimensional role and embraces it rather than shying away.

Jitesh Sharma

This type of wicket keeping that India needs . Well done Jitesh Sharma. #INDvsSApic.twitter.com/TZ5QPgk0Wt

— manzur shaban (@Manzurshaban123) December 11, 2025

Jitesh Sharma finished with the most dismissals last season and made a name for himself as a finisher, which earned him an international T20 debut. However, his debut with the bat against South Africa wasn’t impressive, and therefore, Sharma will be eager to prove his mettle once again. Going into the tournament as defending champions, the morale of all Royal Challengers Bengaluru players will be heavily boosted, so we expect Sharma to benefit from the camp environment.

Finn Allen

🚨 HISTORY BY FINN ALLEN AT KOLKATA 🚨

Finn Allen just smashed the fastest ever T20 World Cup century in just 33 balls 🔥

Finn broke the record of Universe Boss Chris Gayle (47 balls), as this is 3rd fastest 💯 in T20Is 👏🏻

What's your take 🤔 #SAvsNZ pic.twitter.com/Uu1UNGi7q9

— Fan Account Richard Kettlebourogh (@RichKettle07) March 4, 2026

Aged 26, we have lofty expectations from New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who will debut in this year’s IPL for the KKR. At an average of 49.66 and a strike rate of 200, Allen scored 298 runs in eight innings, including 100 (33) against South Africa, the fastest century in the tournament's history. We expect him to deliver not only with the bat but also behind the stumps. With the presence of Ajinkya Rahane, it could be tough for Allen to get a wicket-keeping role, but given Rahane’s age and the pressure of captaining the team, it is better if the workload is taken off his shoulder and handed over to Allen.