Winning Ways: The Most Successful Captains in IPL History

Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably the toughest cricket league in the world. Because of that, the margin of error becomes much smaller in the league as a few mistakes here and there can change the entire complexion of the game within a few balls. For this, the role of captain becomes crucial, making learning a vital aspect of the game.

Especially in tournaments like the IPL, the captain needs to be on their toes as one mistake could cost them the match. Leading the team isn’t as easy as one thinks.

Apart from leading from the front, the captain needs to ensure that he carries the other 11 players along as well.  The IPL over the years has seen many stalwarts captaining the different franchises. While some have failed, few have brought laurels to for their teams. In this piece, we will take a look at the best captains in IPL history.

Best Captain in IPL History (minimum 80 matches) 

1. MS Dhoni With 133 Wins as Captain

India legend MS Dhoni is the best captain in the IPL history. The keeper-batter captained Chennai Super Kings and now defunct Rising Super Giants in the league.

Touted as “Captain Cool,” he is seen as one of the best cricketing minds to ever play the game. The 42-year-old played 226 games as a leader and won 133 matches with a winning percentage of 59.37, with 91 losses under his belt.

Apart from the games that he won, the keeper-batter guided Chennai Super Kings to five title wins and made them the joint most successful team in the league. He has been one of the biggest reasons behind CSK being heavyweights in the tournament. Ahead of the IPL 2024, he relinquished the captaincy and passed on the baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

2. Rohit Sharma With 87 Wins as Captain

India captain Rohit Sharma is the second-best captain in IPL history.

Till 2013, Mumbai Indians were struggling to get going in the tournament. But the decision to hand the captaincy to Rohit midway through IPL 2013 changed the fortunes of the team. 

The opening batter in his first season as captain took the team to glory and after that didn’t look back. He won four more titles in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, making Mumbai Indians the most successful team in the tournament. In the 158 games that he captained in the IPL, he won 87 games at a win percentage of 57.32. Under his leadership, Mumbai lost just 67 games. Rohit Sharma also didn’t lose a single final as captain in the league. 

3. Gautam Gambhir With 71 Wins as Captain

Gautam Gambhir also did a terrific job in the IPL as captain for Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders. While his stint as a leader with Delhi wasn’t fruitful, he made sure he made Kolkata one of the best franchises in the league.

Under his captaincy, KKR looked like a force to be reckoned with and was on the same page with CSK and MI. Gambhir guided KKR to two title wins in 2012 and 2014 and made them the third most successful team in the IPL.

Overall, he played 129 games as a leader and won 71 games apart from losing 57 matches. He also had a win percentage of 55.42 in his career as captain. 

4. David Warner With 40 Wins as Captain

David Warner is rated as the best overseas batter to grace the Indian Premier League. Not only is he the leading run-getter in the league in terms of foreign batters, but he also did a terrific job as captain of the team for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The southpaw led the team to the title in IPL 2016 as under him stage Orange Army defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final. Warner was also the captain of Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2022 but didn’t have a great outing. Overall in 83 games as captain, the Australian batter won 40 games and lost 41 matches. His winning percentage of 55.42 puts him amongst the best captains in IPL history. 

5. Virat Kohli With 66 Wins as Captain

Although he didn’t win the IPL trophy as a captain, Virat Kohli ranks as the 5th best captain in IPL history. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter has been the main reason why the franchise is considered the powerhouse in the league.

Kohli as a captain was decent as under his leadership RCB registered many famous wins and took them to the final in the 2016 edition. He captained the franchise in 143 games and won 66 matches. The batter also faced 71 losses but had a win percentage of 48.50.