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 | Bowler | Venue | Mode of Wicket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Parthiv Patel (Chennai Super Kings) | Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals) | Jaipur | LBW |
| 2009 | Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Capitals) | Lakshmipathy Balaji (Chennai Super Kings) | Durban | Caught |
| 2009 | Jacques Kallis (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Dirk Nannes (Delhi Capitals) | Port Elizabeth | Caught |
| 2009 | Brendon McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Kevin Pietersen (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Durban | Caught |
| 2009 | S. Badrinath (Chennai Super Kings) | Irfan Pathan (Punjab Kings) | Centurion | Caught |
| 2009 | Sanath Jayasuriya (Mumbai Indians) | Dirk Nannes (Delhi Capitals) | Centurion | Caught |
| 2010 | Manoj Tiwary (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Chaminda Vaas (Deccan Chargers) | Navi Mumbai | Caught |
| 2010 | Michael Lumb (Rajasthan Royals) | Ashok Dinda (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Ahmedabad | Caught |
| 2011 | Mayank Agarwal (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) | Bengaluru | Caught |
| 2011 | S. Anirudha (Chennai Super Kings) | Praveen Kumar (Punjab Kings) | Mohali | Caught |
| 2011 | Brendon McCullum (Kochi Tuskers Kerala) | Alfonso Thomas (Pune Warriors) | Navi Mumbai | Bowled |
| 2012 | Parthiv Patel (Deccan Chargers) | Marlon Samuels (Pune Warriors) | Cuttack | Bowled |
| 2013 | Unmukt Chand (Delhi Capitals) | Brett Lee (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2013 | Kusal Perera (Rajasthan Royals) | Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Pune Warriors) | Pune | Caught |
| 2014 | Jacques Kallis (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Mohammed Shami (Delhi Capitals) | Dubai | Caught |
| 2015 | Dwayne Smith (Chennai Super Kings) | Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2015 | Mayank Agarwal (Delhi Capitals) | Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2017 | Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Umesh Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Bengaluru | Caught |
| 2017 | Martin Guptill (Punjab Kings) | Jaydev Unadkat (Rising Pune Supergiant) | Pune | Caught |
| 2018 | Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians) | Umesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2018 | Shikhar Dhawan (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings) | Mumbai | Bowled |
| 2019 | Joe Denly (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Ishant Sharma (Delhi Capitals) | Kolkata | Bowled |
| 2020 | Prithvi Shaw (Delhi Capitals) | Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals) | Dubai | Bowled |
| 2020 | Marcus Stoinis (Delhi Capitals) | Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians) | Dubai | Caught |
| 2022 | KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants) | Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans) | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2022 | Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | J. Suchith (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Mumbai | Caught |
| 2022 | David Warner (Delhi Capitals) | Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings) | Navi Mumbai | Caught |
| 2023 | Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab Kings) | Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Hyderabad | Caught |
| 2023 | Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Trent Boult (Rajasthan Royals) | Bengaluru | LBW |
| 2023 | Phil Salt (Delhi Capitals) | Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans) | Ahmedabad | Caught |
| 2024 | Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders) | Tushar Deshpande (Chennai Super Kings) | Chennai | Caught |
| 2025 | Shaik Rasheed (Chennai Super Kings) | Mohammed Shami (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Chennai | Caught |
| 2025 | Karun Nair (Delhi Capitals) | Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Hyderabad | Caught |
| 2026 | KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals) | Mohammed Shami (Lucknow Super Giants) | Lucknow | Caught |
| 2026 | Phil Salt (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals) | Guwahati | Caught |
| 2026 | Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals) | Hyderabad | 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
| Bowler | 1st Ball Wickets | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 5 | 2014, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 |
| Jofra Archer | 3 | 2020, 2026 (twice) |
| 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 |
Mohammed Shami has pulled ahead of the pack to become the undisputed specialist in the first-ball strike.
Bonus Stat: Most Wickets in First Over in IPL History
Batters Dismissed on First Ball of Innings in IPL
| Batter | 1st Ball Dismissals | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Salt | 3 | 2023, 2024, 2026 |
| KL Rahul | 2 | 2022, 2026 |
| Virat Kohli | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Brendon McCullum | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
| Jacques Kallis | 2 | 2009, 2014 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 2 | 2011, 2015 |
| Parthiv Patel | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
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.
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.
