The Answer is very much expected as usual. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ex-captain MS Dhoni remains the most successful captain of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in terms of games played, experience, and IPL team performance.
The captain of a cricket team is the most important player among all. There are IPL 11 squads. but in the IPL, his role becomes even more critical. A good captain can make the team play to its strengths and negatThe captain of a cricket team is the most important player among the 11 squads, but in the IPL, his role becomes even more critical. A good captain can lead the team to play to its strengths and negate its weaknesses.
Captain and the team management arranges the overall plan of hard work, strategies, for the upcoming match,but the individual performance of every player is the most important. Smart playing and tactical decisions make games, and that’s precisely the job of the team captain.
On that note, we bring you this article on the most successful and match-winning captains in IPL history.and its weaknesses.
The hard work, strategies, and planning dissipate during the match, and all that matters is the individual performances of the players and the leadership of the captain. Smart playing and skilful decisions are what win games, and that’s precisely the job of the team captain.
On that note, we bring you this article on the most successful and match-winning captains in IPL history.
Just check out the below list:
The Most Successful IPL Captains
Rank Player Span Mat Won Lost W %
1 MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) 2008-2023 226 133 91 59.37
2 Rohit Sharma (MI) 2013-2023 158 87 67 56.32
3 Virat Kohli (RCB) 2011-2023 143 66 70 48.56
4 Gautam Gambhir (DC/KKR) 2009-2018 129 71 57 55.42
5 David Warner (DC/SRH) 2013-2023 83 40 41 49.39
A captain can either make or break his team. A good captain can utilise each of his players to form a successful team,while a poor captain is unable to utilise his good players, as well.
In IPL, many teams played well at the beginning and by half way of the tournament, went down due to sudden poor performance.
At the same time, some teams started doubly, but led the tournament at the end with their remarkable performance without any expectations.
Above all is the captainship which makes their team the winner.
As per the IPL stats, review below list of successful IPL captains by games played and experience and winning percentage.
| Rank | Player | Matches | Won | Lost | W % |
| 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 |
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 Highest Tournament Wins
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have won IPL titles more than a single time.
- MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings to five IPL wins in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
- With Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the Mumbai Indians has won the IPL trophy five times in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
- Kolkata Knight Riders have won the IPL twice in 2012 and 2014, Gautam Gambhir was the KKR’s captain.
- Hardik Pandya has shown great leadership potential. He has captained the debuting Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and won the championship. GT gained the table both in IPL 2022 and IPL 2023 and reached the final as well.
There is however no doubt that MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in the history of the IPL.
Wrapping Up
Many players have captained various teams in the Indian Premier League. Only a few have done the job with the highest dedication and consistency. MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma both are going neck to neck to grab the top spot. Sharma’s Mumbai Indians and MSD’s Chennai Super Kings have got the same number of IPL finals. CSK has reached the playoffs and played more finals. Plus, MS Dhoni has been the captain of CSK from the inception of the IPL.Well, this is an endless discussion.Keep on reading us for the more updates and IPL stats here.