Best IPL Captains In History: Over the 16 years of the Indian Premier League, many players and teams have competed, but only a few have won the IPL Trophy. IPL franchise owners spend a lot of money to bring in top players from around the world and build strong teams.
Each IPL team is filled with talented players, including many young athletes who have done well in domestic cricket. Every team also has experienced cricketers as coaches or mentors. Franchise owners spend huge amounts at every auction to form their teams.
Despite this, we often see even past champions or defending winners struggle in later seasons. The T20 format of IPL is fast and intense, putting a lot of pressure on both bowlers and batsmen. When bowlers, who usually play well in longer formats, are hit for sixes in IPL, it can affect their confidence. Players also feel the pressure to score fast or take wickets, which can lead to mistakes and poor team performance.
Most IPL Successful Captains
A cricket captain is the player who makes important decisions during a match. Their skills and leadership can greatly affect the team’s performance. A good captain can bring out the best in an average team, while a poor captain may waste the talent of a skilled team.
The IPL has had both good and bad captains. Sometimes, a captain has been replaced during the tournament because of poor performance. Today, we are sharing the list of the most successful captains in IPL history. These captains have led their teams to the most wins, staying calm under pressure and making key contributions in matches.
Some players on the list may surprise you, and some popular players are missing. But we’ve only focused on the official IPL stats.
Most Successful IPL Captains by Games Played and Experience
| Rank | Player | Matches | Won | Lost | win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) | 226 | 133 | 91 | 59.37 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma (MI) | 158 | 87 | 67 | 56.32 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli (RCB) | 143 | 66 | 70 | 48.56 |
| 4 | Gautam Gambhir (DC/KKR) | 129 | 71 | 57 | 55.42 |
| 5 | David Warner (DC/SRH) | 83 | 40 | 41 | 49.39 |
| 6 | Adam Gilchrist (DC/KXIP) | 74 | 35 | 39 | 47.29 |
| 7 | Shreyas Iyer (DC/KKR) | 55 | 27 | 26 | 50.90 |
| 8 | Shane Warne (RR) | 55 | 30 | 24 | 55.45 |
| 9 | Virender Sehwag (DC/KXIP) | 53 | 28 | 24 | 53.77 |
| 10 | KL Rahul (KXIP/LSG/PBKS) | 51 | 25 | 24 | 50.98 |
| 11 | Sachin Tendulkar (MI) | 51 | 30 | 21 | 58.82 |
| 12 | Rahul Dravid (RCB/RR) | 48 | 22 | 26 | 45.83 |
| 13 | Kumara Sangakkara (DC/KXIP/SRH) | 47 | 15 | 30 | 34.04 |
| 14 | Kane Williamson (SRH) | 46 | 22 | 23 | 48.91 |
| 15 | Sanju Samson (RR) | 45 | 22 | 23 | 48.88 |
| 16 | Dinesh Karthik (DC/KKR) | 43 | 21 | 21 | 50.00 |
| 17 | Steve Smith (PWI/RPS/RR) | 43 | 25 | 17 | 59.52 |
| 18 | Yuvraj Singh (KXIP/PWI) | 43 | 21 | 21 | 50.00 |
| 19 | Saurav Ganguly (KKR/PWI) | 42 | 17 | 25 | 40.47 |
| 20 | Suresh Raina (CSK/GL) | 34 | 14 | 18 | 44.11 |
| 21 | George Bailey (KXIP) | 30 | 14 | 16 | 46.66 |
| 22 | Mahela Jayawardene (DC/Kochi/KXIP) | 30 | 10 | 19 | 35.00 |
| 23 | Hardik Pandya (GT) | 31 | 22 | 9 | 70.96 |
| 24 | Rishabh Pant (DC) | 30 | 16 | 13 | 55.00 |
| 25 | Ravichandran Ashwin (KXIP) | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.85 |
| 26 | Faf du Plessis (RCB) | 27 | 14 | 13 | 51.85 |
| 27 | Anil Kumble (RCB) | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69 |
| 28 | Ajinkya Rahane (RPS/RR) | 25 | 9 | 16 | 36.00 |
| 29 | Eoin Morgan (KKR) | 24 | 11 | 12 | 47.91 |
| 30 | Shane Watson (RCB/RR) | 24 | 8 | 13 | 39.13 |
Also Read: Top 5 Performances By Indian Batters In Border-Gavaskar Trophy In Australia
Most Successful IPL Captains by Win Percentage
| Position | Player | Mat | Overall Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardik Pandya (GT) | 31 | 73.33 |
| 2 | Steve Smith (PWI/RPS/RR) | 43 | 59.52 |
| 3 | MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) | 225 | 59.19 |
| 4 | Sachin Tendulkar (MI) | 51 | 58.82 |
| 5 | Anil Kumble (RCB) | 26 | 57.69 |
| 6 | Rohit Sharma (MI) | 158 | 56.32 |
| 7 | Shane Warne (RR) | 55 | 55.45 |
| 8 | Gautam Gambhir (DC/KKR) | 129 | 55.42 |
| 9 | Rishabh Pant (DC) | 30 | 55 |
| 10 | Daniel Vettori (RCB) | 22 | 54.54 |
| 11 | Virender Sehwag (DC/KXIP) | 53 | 53.77 |
| 12 | Faf du Plessis (RCB) | 27 | 51.85 |
| 13 | KL Rahul (KXIP/LSG/PBKS) | 51 | 50.98 |
| 14 | Shreyas Iyer (DC/KKR) | 55 | 50.9 |
| 15 | Dinesh Karthik (DC/KKR) | 43 | 50 |
| 16 | Yuvraj Singh (KXIP/PWI) | 43 | 50 |
| 17 | Harbhajan Singh (MI) | 20 | 50 |
| 18 | David Warner (DC/SRH) | 83 | 49.39 |
| 19 | Kane Williamson (SRH) | 46 | 48.91 |
| 20 | Sanju Samson (RR) | 45 | 48.88 |
IPL Captains With the Most Tournament Wins
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir are the only captains who have won the IPL more than once.
- MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL victories in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023.
- Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians to win the IPL trophy five times, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
- Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL two times, in 2012 and 2014, under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.
- Hardik Pandya has shown great leadership skills, captaining the Gujarat Titans in their first IPL season in 2022 and winning the championship. Gujarat Titans finished at the top of the table in both IPL 2022 and 2023 and reached the final in both years.
There is no doubt that MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in IPL history.
Conclusion
Many players have captained different teams in the Indian Premier League, but only a few have shown real dedication and consistency. The race for the best captain is close, with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma competing for the top spot. Rohit’s Mumbai Indians and MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings have won the same number of IPL finals, but CSK has reached the playoffs and played more finals. MS Dhoni has also been the CSK captain since the first IPL. You can decide who is more successful between the two. Keep reading Jagran Josh for more IPL news, stats, and records.