Oldest Players To Play IPL Matches

Aakash Saini

Oldest players to play IPL matches [Source: AP Photos]Oldest players to play IPL matches [Source: AP Photos]

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The IPL T20 competition has long been a stage for youthful exuberance. However, it has also become a platform for seasoned veterans to defy age and showcase their enduring class. Well past their prime years, some of these cricketing stalwarts continued to grace the tournament, proving that experience and skills still remain some of the biggest invaluable assets in the shortest format of the game.

Here, we take a look at five oldest cricketers who have played an IPL match in the history of the tournament.

5. Imran Tahir 42 years, 29 days (April 25, 2021)

South Africa’s ageing warhorse Imran Tahir played the last of his 59 IPL matches on April 25 back in 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Aged 42 years and 29 days at the time, the cricketer picked up two key wickets at an expense of just 16 runs against RCB in a match-winning cause for the CSK. Despite putting up an impressive performance, Imran Tahir was not considered for selection for the remainder of the season, and was subsequently released by the franchise prior to the start of the following edition.

At his current age of nearly 46, the cunning leg-spinner recently played the SA20 2025 season for the Joburg Super Kings.

4. Muttiah Muralidaran 42 years, 35 days (May 22, 2014)

Sri Lankan great and legendary off-spinner Muralidaran kept grinding it out in the IPL up until the business end of the IPL 2014 season in India. Playing for the RCB franchise under the leadership of Virat Kohli, Muralidaran featured in just five matches of the season, and played the last of those against KKR at Eden Gardens at the age of 42 years and 35 days.

A highly decorated Sri Lankan international, Muralidaran’s IPL swansong game turned out to be a rather underwhelming outing as he went wicketless in his expensive two-over spell.


3. MS Dhoni 43 years, 259 days (March 23, 2025)

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni entered the IPL 2025 season after getting retained by the CSK franchise under the ‘uncapped player’ category, considering the legendary wicketkeeper-batter played his last international match for India back in mid-2019 (over five years ago).

Despite unwillingly tethering himself to years of retirement speculations from fans and cricket experts, Dhoni continues to cherish the fragrant of the Indian T20 carnival, enthralling all his diehard enthusiasts in the process. Having played 265 IPL matches to date spanning 18 different editions, including the ongoing one, Dhoni became the third oldest cricketer to take field in IPL history, doing so at the age of 43 years and 259 days on March 23, 2025 against familiar rivals Mumbai Indians.

2. Pravin Tambe 44 years, 219 days (May 14, 2016)

Pravin Tambe’s IPL swansong, much like his tournament debut, was an enigma to remember. The cunning leg-spinner, who made his IPL debut at the age of 42, played three seasons for Rajasthan Royals between 2013 and 2015 before unknowingly playing his final match in 2016 at the age of 44 years and 219 days, doing so with his seventh appearance of the season for Gujarat Lions.

The match, however, will forever be remembered for the twin match-winning hundreds from AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli for the RCB franchise.

1. Brad Hogg 45 years, 92 days (May 8, 2016)

Pravin Tambe was not the only wily spin bowler who witnessed an anti-climactic end to his IPL journey in 2016. Just a week prior, Australia’s two-time World Cup winning cricketer Brad Hogg played his last match for the KKR at the Eden Gardens. Even though he picked up the crucial wicket of dangerman Dinesh Karthik, the KKR lost the game to Gujarat Lions by five wickets and with two overs to spare.

While Hogg was aged 45 years and 92 days at the time of playing his final IPL match in mid-2016, he added a few more games to his T20 profile during the next couple of years, until he called it quits in January 2018 at nearly 47.