Losing a wicket on the very first ball of the match is the ultimate “cricket nightmare.” In IPL history, there have been 33 instances, where a batter was dismissed on the first legal delivery of the innings.
Here is the complete list including the bowlers, batters, season, and venue:
IPL First Ball of the Innings Dismissals
| Season | Batter | Team | Bowler | Venue | Mode of Wicket |
| 2008 | Parthiv Patel | CSK | Sohail Tanvir | Jaipur | lbw |
| 2009 | Gautam Gambhir | DC | L. Balaji | Durban | Caught |
| 2009 | Jacques Kallis | RCB | Dirk Nannes | Port Elizabeth | Caught |
| 2009 | Brendon McCullum | KKR | Kevin Pietersen | Durban | Caught |
| 2009 | S. Badrinath | CSK | Irfan Pathan | Centurion | Caught |
| 2009 | Sanath Jayasuriya | MI | Dirk Nannes | Centurion | Caught |
| 2010 | Manoj Tiwary | KKR | Chaminda Vaas | Navi Mumbai | Caught |
| 2010 | Michael Lumb | RR | Ashok Dinda | Ahmedabad | Caught |
| 2011 | Mayank Agarwal | RCB | Lasith Malinga | Bengaluru | Caught |
| 2011 | S. Anirudha | CSK | Praveen Kumar | Mohali | Caught |
| 2011 | Brendon McCullum | KTK | Alfonso Thomas | Navi Mumbai | Bowled |
| 2012 | Parthiv Patel | DecC | Marlon Samuels | Cuttack | Bowled |
| 2013 | Unmukt Chand | DD | Brett Lee | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2013 | Kusal Perera | RR | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Pune | Caught |
| 2014 | Jacques Kallis | KKR | Mohammed Shami | Dubai | Caught |
| 2015 | Dwayne Smith | CSK | Pat Cummins | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2015 | Mayank Agarwal | DD | Lasith Malinga | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2017 | Chris Gayle | RCB | Umesh Yadav | Bengaluru | Caught |
| 2017 | Martin Guptill | PBKS | Jaydev Unadkat | Pune | Caught |
| 2018 | Suryakumar Yadav | MI | Umesh Yadav | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2018 | Shikhar Dhawan | SRH | Deepak Chahar | Mumbai | Bowled |
| 2019 | Joe Denly | KKR | Ishant Sharma | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2020 | Prithvi Shaw | DC | Jofra Archer | Dubai | Bowled |
| 2020 | Marcus Stoinis | DC | Trent Boult | Dubai | Caught |
| 2022 | KL Rahul | LSG | Mohammed Shami | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2022 | Virat Kohli | RCB | J. Suchith | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2022 | David Warner | DC | Liam Livingstone | Navi Mumbai | Caught |
| 2023 | Prabhsimran Singh | PBKS | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Hyderabad | Caught |
| 2023 | Virat Kohli | RCB | Trent Boult | Bengaluru | lbw |
| 2023 | Phil Salt | DC | Mohammed Shami | Ahmedabad | Caught |
| 2024 | Phil Salt | KKR | Tushar Deshpande | Chennai | Caught |
| 2025 | Shaik Rasheed | CSK | Mohammed Shami | Chennai | Caught |
| 2025 | Karun Nair | DC | Pat Cummins | Hyderabad | Caught |
| 2026 | KL Rahul | DC | Mohammed Shami | Lucknow | Caught |
Key Highlights:
Most Frequent Bowler: Mohammed Shami has taken the most first-ball wickets in IPL history (5 times).
Most Frequent Batters: Brendon McCullum, Jacques Kallis, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Parthiv Patel, and KL Rahul have all suffered this fate twice.
Venue Trend: Wankhede Stadium and Eden Gardens have seen a high concentration of these “golden duck” openers.
Bowlers with Most Wickets on First Ball of Innings in IPL
Mohammed Shami has pulled ahead of the pack to become the undisputed specialist in the first-ball strike.
| Bowler | 1st Ball Wickets | Seasons |
| Mohammed Shami | 5 | 2014, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 2 | 2013, 2023 |
| Trent Boult | 2 | 2020, 2023 |
| Lasith Malinga | 2 | 2011, 2015 |
| Umesh Yadav | 2 | 2017, 2018 |
| Dirk Nannes | 2 | 2009 (twice) |
| Pat Cummins | 2 | 2015, 2025 |
Bonus Stat: Most Wickets in First Over in IPL History
Batters Dismissed on First Ball of Innings in IPL
While many legendary names appear on the full list, these players have unfortunately found themselves walking back to the pavilion after just one delivery multiple times.
| Batter | 1st Ball Dismissals | Seasons |
| KL Rahul | 2 | 2022, 2026 |
| Virat Kohli | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Phil Salt | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Brendon McCullum | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
| Jacques Kallis | 2 | 2009, 2014 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 2 | 2011, 2015 |
| Parthiv Patel | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
Bonus Stats: Most Ducks in IPL | Most Ducks in Single IPL Season
Note: The 2026 instance involving KL Rahul was particularly significant as it was his second time being dismissed on the first ball of a match by the same bowler (Mohammed Shami), and it occurred during Shami’s debut match for the Lucknow Super Giants.
