MS Dhoni vs Dinesh Karthik - comparing their stats after 257 IPL matches 

MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik are two of the biggest wicket-keeping names in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. Although the pair operated vastly differently from one other, they managed to create a legacy with their contributions.

Dinesh Karthik ended his IPL career with the 2024 season after helping RCB qualify for the playoffs out of nowhere. He is still part of the franchise, but as a batting coach and mentor behind the scenes.

MS Dhoni, on the other hand, is still going strong, overseeing CSK's potential transition amid a rocky 2025 season. He was required to step up as captain once again following a major injury to Ruturaj Gaikwad midway through the campaign.

On that note, let us compare the stats of MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik after 257 IPL matches.

#1 Batting Record

There is a massive similarity as to how MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik's batting roles evolved over the course of the IPL. They both operated in the middle order for their respective franchises for the majority of their careers, before settling into playing as finishers in their twilight years.

Their similar strike rate reflects how close their batting roles were. But, in terms of average, MS Dhoni steers clear with a figure close to the 40-run mark, while Dinesh Karthik's mid-20s average shows that he has largely underachieved despite a very long career in the IPL.

MS Dhoni is also the leading run-scoring wicket-keeper in the IPL, while Dinesh Karthik comes second on the list.

Player Name	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
MS Dhoni	5169	39.46	137.00
Dinesh Karthik	4842	26.32	135.36

#2 Wicket-keeping Record

Both MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were masters with the wicket-keeping gloves. Over their lengthy careers, they have emerged to be promising and reliable wicket-keepers for their respective teams.

MS Dhoni recently became the first wicket-keeper to complete 200 dismissals in the IPL, but by the time he had made his 257th career appearance, which was during the 2024 season, he was on 185 dismissals.

Dinesh Karthik, on the other hand, kept wickets for nearly the entirety of his IPL career. But, he did not don the gloves in the 2011 season when the Kings XI Punjab (now renamed as Punjab Kings) had Adam Gilchrist for the wicket-keeping duties. He also played some matches as an impact sub for RCB in his last season.

He is just behind Dhoni in terms of the most number of dismissals in the IPL, with Wriddhiman Saha being a distant third on the list.

Player Name	Dismissals
MS Dhoni	185
Dinesh Karthik	174

#3 Captaincy Record

MS Dhoni came into the IPL as a proven leader and took charge of CSK right from the very first season. Barring the 2017 IPL campaign with the Rising Pune Supergiant, and the 2024 campaign with CSK, the veteran has played a role as a skipper.

As a captain, the wicket-keeper has five IPL titles to his name, and has guided CSK to the playoffs a record 12 times.

Dinesh Karthik, on the other hand, was only handed the leadership role when he had accumulated years of experience. Interestingly, his captaincy debut, on an interim basis with the Delhi Daredevils (now renamed as Delhi Capitals), came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who were missing MS Dhoni due to an injury.

His defining spell as captain came when he was appointed KKR's captain in 2018. He led the franchise to the playoffs that season, and guided them to fifth spot the following year, before resigning midway through the 2020 campaign, handing over the duties to Eoin Morgan.

Player Name	Matches	Won	Lost	Win Percentage
MS Dhoni	226	133	91	58.80
Dinesh Karthik	44	22	22	50.00

#4 Performances in winning causes

MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were both match-winners in their own right, and primarily operating in the middle-order, they had a crucial role to play.

Dhoni won 150 matches out of his first 257 appearances in the IPL, giving him a massive win percentage of 58.30. He was far from a bystander in those matches, as he made active contributions, as clearly seen in his numbers below. An overwhelming majority of MS Dhoni's fifties, or 70.83 percent of them, in other words, came in winning causes.

Dinesh Karthik, on the other hand, was part of 130 wins in his IPL career, and boasts a very similar strike rate to MS Dhoni in such matches. Exactly half of Dinesh Karthik's IPL fifties came in winning causes.

Player Name	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	Fifties
MS Dhoni	3002	52.66	148.85	17
Dinesh Karthik	2301	31.96	145.82	11