10 most successful captains in the history of the IPL

It is often said that a captain is as good as his team, but sometimes, a good team needs a great captain who can lead from the front and encourage his players to do well. The IPL has seen many captains over the years. Some have proved themselves exceptional while some have failed to exhibit their leadership.

Hence, it's time to answer the big question: "Who's the most successful captain in the IPL?" The players in this list are ranked based on a few factors such as the number of times their team reached the playoffs, the number of times they have won the title, and their win/loss record as captain.

That being said, let's take a look at the 10 most successful captains in IPL history.

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10. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

Fans remember Virender Sehwag as this devastating batsman who terrorized bowlers for many years. Sehwag's chance as captain came during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League when he was asked to captain the Delhi Capitals (formerly called Delhi Daredevils).

Delhi Capitals performed well under Sehwag and they even reached the semi-finals in 2008 where they were eliminated by Rajasthan Royals. Again, he captained Delhi in 2009 where they had one of their best seasons topping the points table. But they still failed to lift the coveted trophy and bowed out of the tournament after losing the semi-finals.

He handed over the captaincy to Gautam Gambhir the following year. In 2014, Sehwag left Delhi to play for Kings XI Punjab. He played with them for two season (2014-2015) and was even selected to captain Kings XI Punjab in 2015 due to George Bailey’s poor form.

However, he failed to revive KXIP’s season and they finished at the bottom of the points table. Sehwag’s captaincy record stands at 28 wins and 25 losses in 53 matches with a winning percentage of 52.83%.

9. Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Steve Smith’s first stint at captaincy came in 2012 when he was playing for Pune Warriors India. He captained his team in one match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and lost by 35 runs.

However, Steve Smith's full-time gig as captain came when he was selected to lead the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017. He performed well as captain and led his team to the finals of the tournament before losing to Mumbai Indians.

Smith holds a pretty good captaincy record of 16 wins and eight losses in 24 matches with a good winning percentage of 66.67%.

8. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin was tasked with captaining Mumbai Indians in their debut season but couldn’t captain the team from the beginning due to an injury. He returned in the later part of the tournament to take up the mantle as captain but Mumbai Indians still failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

In 2009, he was again set to captain MI but failed to gain any success as they finished in seventh place. However, Tendulkar tasted his first successful run as captain in 2010 when he literally led Mumbai Indians to their first IPL finals. They lost the finals to Chennai Super Kings, but Tendulkar won the orange cap by scoring 618 runs in the season.

Sachin's final season as captain came in 2011. This was also a good season for MI as they made the playoffs before losing the second qualifier to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Sachin had another successful season with the bat scoring 533 runs in 16 matches. He also scored his first IPL hundred in this season. Sachin held a great captaincy record of 31 wins and 22 losses with a winning percentage of 60.78%.

7. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Undoubtedly, Virat Kohli can be considered the greatest player of this generation. His batting skills and abilities are second to none. He has been a prolific run scorer for India and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kohli was selected to captain RCB in 2013 after Daniel Vettori stepped into a coaching role with the franchise. In his debut season as captain, RCB nearly qualified for the playoffs. However, 2014 didn’t go as planned for the Indian skipper as RCB finished in seventh place.

In 2015, RCB finished in 3rd place and were eventually defeated by Chennai Super Kings in the 2nd qualifier. 2016 was the best year for RCB and Virat Kohli. Kohli set the tournament ablaze by scoring four centuries in a single season accumulating a total of 973 runs in the process. His performances helped RCB reach the finals before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

As of 2018, Kohli’s captaincy record will show that he has won 44 matches out of 96 games that he has captained.

6. Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist was selected as the perfect candidate to lead Deccan Chargers in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. However, His debut season as captain was an absolute failure as Deccan Chargers managed to win just two out of their 14 matches (few matches were led by VVS Laxman).

He somehow managed to redeem himself as captain in the following year as Deccan Chargers went on to win their first title by defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the finals. The Australian wicket-keeper also contributed at the top with 495 runs to his name.

His good run as captain meant that he would lead the Deccan Chargers franchise for the third time in 2010. Deccan had another good season finishing in second place. This was the last time Gilchrist played for Deccan Chargers and he was released the following year due to his poor form with the bat.

This time he went on to captain Kings XI Punjab from 2011 to 2013. His captaincy stint at KXIP wasn’t successful and KXIP never made the playoff under his captaincy. His form with the bat also depreciated over time and he eventually hung up his boots in 2013.

5. Shane Warne

Shane Warne

Everyone remembers Shane Warne as a captain who did the impossible by turning a bunch of underdogs into unbeatable champions. That’s the story of Warne’s captaincy in a nutshell.

Shane Warne was set to captain the Rajasthan Royal in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. While cricket pundits around the world felt that Rajasthan Royals would finish last, Warne had other plans.

A defiant Shane Warne led the charge that saw the Royals sitting comfortably at the top of the table. Not only did they top the points table, but they went on to defeat Chennai Super Kings in the finals to become the inaugural champions of the IPL.

Since then Warne had some decent stints as captain but Rajasthan Royals never managed to qualify for the playoffs again under his captaincy. The Australian leg-spinner has captained the Royals in 55 matches and won 30 of those matches with a winning percentage of 54.54%.

4. David Warner

David Warner

David Warner’s first major role as captain in the IPL came when he was tasked to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in their 2015 IPL campaign. This was a bold move considering the fact that Warner hadn’t had much leadership experience and was a bit of a wildcard, especially with his form.

As expected, SRH performed poorly and found themselves sitting at 6th position in the points table. This lit a fire under Warner and he returned in 2016 determined to lift the coveted trophy. The Australian batsman was in sublime form with the bat and was the second highest run scorer in the tournament. He literally led the charge as Sunrisers Hyderabad marched on to clinch their first IPL title.

2017 was another good year for Warner as SRH finished in third place in the points table. Warner was once again amongst the leading run scorers, but sadly it wasn’t enough as SRH were eliminated in the playoffs.

Warner was banned by BCCI from participating in the IPL the following year.

3. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir didn’t rise to prominence as captain until he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders. Out of seven seasons that he played for KKR, he led them to the playoffs five times and even helped them win the IPL trophy twice (2012 and 2014).

Clearly, Gambhir has been instrumental to KKR’s success over the years and has helped rejuvenate their IPL journey.

Following a successful run at KKR, Gauti returned to play for Delhi Capitals in 2018. However, he couldn’t replicate his success and soon decided to step down as captain and took up a mentorship role within the franchise.

This leaves his captaincy record at 71 wins and 57 losses in 129 games making him one of the most successful captains in the history of the IPL.

2. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

After Mumbai Indians got off to a terrible start in 2013, Ricky Ponting decided to step down as captain and allowed Rohit Sharma to take up the reigns as skipper.

Surprisingly, he (Rohit Sharma) was able to turn things around for Mumbai Indians and led them to their first ever IPL title. He went on to win the trophy on two more occasions (2015 and 2017).

Currently, he is one of the best captains in the league with a record of 51 wins and 37 losses in 89 matches.

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni

When you think of successful captains, you think of MS Dhoni. Dhoni’s IPL journey is nothing short of a fairy tale. Under his captaincy, Chennai Super Kings have never failed to make the playoffs and have also remained one of the most consistent teams in the IPL.

Whether it is finishing off the innings or keeping behind the stumps, Dhoni always seems to be involved in the action.

He led the Chennai Super Kings to the coveted IPL trophy thrice in 2010, 2012, and 2018. There’s no doubt in everyone’s mind that Dhoni remains the most successful captain in the IPL with a record of 94 wins and 64 losses in 159 matches.