Top 10 successful captains in IPL

Leading a team is not an easy job. It requires a lot of patience, understanding and compassion. The same job becomes more difficult when a team comprises of players from different countries who have different approaches to the same game. The role of a captain in a tournament such as the IPL then becomes one that deserves enormous respect.Here is a list of 10 most successful IPL captains based on their winning percentage. Quite predictably, MS Dhoni sets an example of a great leader with 61 wins, whereas the young Virat Kohli is at the 10th position with 16 wins so far.It is also to be noticed that out of the 10, 8 are Indian captains. Moreover, 5 out of the 10 captains have retired from T20 matches.

#10 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has taken to the task of captaining Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last couple of years admirably well, managing to bring together the young and the old in order to achieve success.

Having captained the Indian Under-19 team to a World Cup victory and the senior side on occasions of MS Dhoni's unavailability, leading a side is something that comes naturally for him.

#9 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly: perhaps the only name that is taken alongside MS Dhoni when it comes to captaincy in India.

Fondly called as 'Dada', he has captained Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors. Although he does not have any glorifying moments to speak about in IPL as a captain, no one can question his ability to lead after what he did with India a decade back.

#8 Yuvraj Singh

Having captained Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors, Yuvraj Singh has proven to be a reliable captain with 21 wins in his bag. He led Kings X1 Punjab to semi-finals in the very first edition of the IPL.

#7 Rahul Dravid

Nobody defines the word captain better than the 'Wall of Cricket', Rahul Dravid. Although the first stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore was a forgetful one, he showed his mettle when given the responsibilty again by Rajasthan Royals.

Never bogged down by failures, this calm and composed man always came back on top stronger.

#6 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, who captained Delhi Daredevils, had his own unique way of going about it.He has bagged 28 wins in IPL so far as a captain.Perhaps, his reason for success is his lack of hesitation to take make or break decisions.

#5 Shane Warne

Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne can undoubtedly be regarded as the one who set the standards for a captain in the IPL, by leading Rajasthan Royals to win the initial edition.

Warne is a role model to many. His charismatic personality easily helped him to keep the team well-knit.

#4 Sachin Tendulkar

Referred to as the God of Indian cricket, the recently retired Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar captained Mumbai Indians during the period 2008-2011. He managed to notch up 30 wins out of 51 matches.

#3 Adam Gilchrist

With 35 wins, the former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist occupies the third spot.

He was a man who would take up any challenge that came his way with a smile on his face. Winning the Championship with Deccan Chargers in 2009, he then went on to captain Kings XI Punjab.

#2 Gautam Gambhir

Having won 37 matches, Gautam Gambhir is the second most successful captain in the IPL.

Gambhir was the captain of Delhi Daredevils before he took up the same responsibility with Kolkata Knight Riders and has been with them for the last 4 seasons now.

#1 MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of India's most celebrated captains across all formats, leaves no opportunity to make his mark in the IPL.

Often referred to as Captain Cool, he has been with the Chennai Super Kings since season 1 of the IPL.

He has won 61 matches out of the 100 matches that he has captained so far. The reason behind Dhoni's success is probably his ability to stay calm under pressure and his desire to try out new things.