Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who has led the team to five IPL titles, became the second-most capped player in IPL history. He reached this milestone when he played against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday at Chepauk. Although Rohit had a brief outing, getting out for a duck after just four balls, it marked his 258th IPL appearance, putting him right behind MS Dhoni.
He surpassed Dinesh Karthik, who retired last year with 257 appearances over 17 seasons for six teams. Dhoni still holds the top spot with 265 appearances and continues to perform well as a keeper. Rohit, Dhoni, and Virat Kohli are among the few players who have been part of every IPL season since it started. Before joining the Mumbai Indians, Rohit played for the Deccan Chargers for the first three seasons.
Virat Kohli is currently in fourth place with 253 appearances and is expected to pass Karthik soon if he plays five more games this season.
In terms of overall IPL appearances, here are the top players:
- MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) – 265
- Rohit Sharma (Deccan/MI) – 258
- Dinesh Karthik (DD/MI/KXIP/RCB/KKR/GL) – 257
- Virat Kohli (RCB) – 253
- Ravindra Jadeja (CSK/GL/KTK/RR) – 241
As for the match, the Mumbai Indians put up a fight, thanks to impact player Vignesh Puthur who shone with the ball in the second innings. However, they needed to score around 170-175 to truly challenge the Super Kings. Noor Ahmad, making his debut for CSK, took four wickets to help restrict MI to 155 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra then led the charge for CSK, successfully chasing down the target to start their season with a win.
