5 best captains in IPL history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become one of the biggest cricketing events in the world since its introduction back in 2008. Whether it's opening the bowling attack with a spinner or randomly tinkering with the batting order, the IPL has always been associated with a little madness, albeit with a method to it in most cases. Thus, the role of a captain in a tournament such as this becomes one that deserves immense respect. The job is a lot more difficult when you are captaining a side which comprises of big cricketing stars from all around the globe. So here we bring you the 5 best captains in the history of this tournament:

#5 Rohit Sharma (MI)

Rohit Sharma, one of the most successful players in IPL history, was assigned the Captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) side midway through the 2013 season as Ricky Ponting was benched due to poor form and since then, there has been no looking back. The 27-year-old led them to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title and followed it up with the Champions League win in the same year.

Rohit has captained the side in 28 games, notching up 17 victories at a winning percentage of 60.71.

Earlier, he was also one of the most consistent Deccan Chargers batsmen in the first three seasons of the IPL, and was instrumental in his former franchise winning the 2009 crown.

Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	%
2013-14	28	17	11	0	0	66.71

#4 Shane Warne (RR)

After his retirement from international cricket, Shane Warne was signed as the captain for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the very first edition in 2008, he led the Royals to the title with a squad which had a lot of unknown players in it. He was credited completely for the team’s success.

Warnie continued as captain of the Royals for a further three seasons, the 2011 season being his last with the franchise. He had an impressive record of winning 30 matches out of the 55 he captained. One of his major contributions in the IPL was nurturing young talent in the team and making Rajasthan Royals a formidable force to rekon with.

Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	%
2008-11	55	30	24	1	0	55.45

#3 Adam Gilchrist (DC and KXIP)

Adam Gilchrist, stands firm on the 3rd sport as he has 35 wins under his belt in 79 matches. Gilly captained the Deccan Chargers and changed their fortunes after their flop show in the 2008 edition. They went on to lift the IPL trophy the very next year. He was also named player of the tournament in the same edition.

Gilchrist was later contracted by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) where he was handed a dual responsibility of being the Captain and Coach of the team. Retaining skills of destroying the opposition attack, the wicketkeeper-batsman continued to inspire teammates and mentor the youngsters in the side.

Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	%
2008-13	74	35	39	0	0	47.29

#2 Gautam Gambhir (DD and KKR)

Gautam Gambhir is 2nd in the list with 46 wins in as many as 79 matches in the IPL.

The Left-handed batsman captained the Delhi Daredevils after Sehwag stepped down and then after the 3^rd season he was drafted to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where he tasted immense success by winning the IPL Trophy twice in 4 seasons. He has been one of the mainstays of the KKR batting unit and also, instrumental in changing the fortures of the team after their below par show in the first 3 editions of the tournament.

Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	%
2009-14	79	46	32	1	0	58.86

#1 MS Dhoni (CSK)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of India’s most successful captains, claims the top position as the best captain in the Indian Premier League.

Mahi has been the Captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the 1st edition of the IPL. He holds the record of most number of wins in the IPL as captain (68 wins in 122 matches).

Often known as ‘Captain Cool”, he has the ability of keeping his emotions in check even in extreme pressure situations and that is the key reason why CSK are known to be the most consistent team in the IPL.

Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	%
2008-2014	112	68	43	0	1	61.26