5 cricketers who have led IPL teams the most number of times

Captaining an IPL team is a challenging task as a leader has to understand the mindset of cricketers from various countries and backgrounds with each possessing a different attitude and skill set. It is the captain who helps harness the potential of his team members and transforms them into a match-winning outfit.

The legendary Shane Warne showed in the inaugural edition of the IPL that a team, not the best on paper and not possessing the so-called ‘star players’, can still go ahead and play as a team and win the tournament.

The iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni has made the Chennai Super Kings such a formidable side with a sharp cricketing mind and a cool head that allowed the players’ talents to blossom.

In this article, let us look at five cricketers who have captained IPL teams the most number of times.

---

5. Adam Gilchrist - 74 Matches

Adam Gilchrist led the Deccan Chargers to the IPL title in 2009

At No. 5 comes the legendary wicket keeper batsman from Australia, Adam Gilchrist. The explosive left-hander was the skipper of 2 IPL franchises -- Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab.

Out of the 74 matches that he has been captain in the IPL, he has led his side to a win on 35 occasions.

Gilchrist lead the Deccan Chargers to a win in the 2009 edition of the IPL. He was also in prolific form in that tournament with the bat, and scored 495 runs and also won the player of the tournament award.

RECORD: Matches: 74 Wins: 35 Losses: 39 Tied: 0 N/R: 0 Win%: 47.29%

---

4. Rohit Sharma - 89 Matches

Rohit Sharma has led the Mumbai Indians to 3 IPL titles

Out of the 173 matches that Rohit has played in the IPL, he has led an IPL side on 89 of those occasions. And, out of the 89 occasions, his team has gone on to win 59 times.

Rohit is also one of the most decorated captains in IPL history as he led the Mumbai Indians side to 3 IPL titles out of the 6 seasons that he led them.

Also, in the 2013 edition, when Mumbai won the title, Rohit led from the front with the bat and smashed 538 runs at an average of 38.43 and a strike rate of 131.54.

RECORD: Matches: 89 Wins: 51 Losses: 37 Tied: 1 N/R: 0 Win%: 57.86%

3. Virat Kohli - 96 Matches

Kohli has led the RCB 96 times in his career

Virat Kohli will easily go down in history as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the IPL. Out of the 163 matches that he has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he was the captain of the side on 96 occasions.

Right from the time Kohli took over as the captain of RCB, the batting maestro has been prolific with the bat.

In the 2016 edition of the IPL, Kohli led from the front and scored 973 runs including 4 hundreds at an astounding average of 81.08.

Out of the 96 matches that he has played as the captain, he has led his side to a win on 44 occasions.

RECORD: Matches: 96 Wins: 44 Losses: 47 Tied: 2 N/R: 3 Win%: 48.38%

---

2. Gautam Gambhir - 129 Matches

Gambhir led KKR to 2 IPL titles in the 2012 and the 2014 editions

Gautam Gambhir occupies the No.2 position in the list. The left-handed batting dynamite has captained an IPL side for a staggering 129 occasions. And out of that, Gambhir has led his side to a win on 71 occasions.

Gambhir also led KKR to 2 IPL titles in the 2012 and the 2014 editions. Also, in the 2012 edition, Gambhir led from the front with the bat and scored 590 runs at a strike rate of 143.55.

RECORD: Matches: 129 Wins: 71 Losses: 57 Tied: 1 N/R: 0 Win%: 55.42%

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - 159 Matches

MS Dhoni has almost become synonymous with CSK

You talk of the Chennai Super Kings, and the first name that comes to your mind is that of MS Dhoni. The iconic cricketer has almost become synonymous with the team.

Let us gulp down some numbers. Out of the 159 matches in which Dhoni has led an IPL team, he has led his side to a win on a colossal 94 occasions. Dhoni is the only captain in IPL history to have lead his side to back-to-back IPL titles.

Dhoni has led his side to a final a staggering 7 times and to a win on 3 of those occasions. There is no captain in IPL history who can even come remotely close to Dhoni’s humongous records.

RECORD: Matches: 159 Wins: 94 Losses: 64 Tied: 0 N/R: 1 Win%: 59.49%

So, there you have it. These are the 5 cricketers who have led an IPL side the most number of times in their career.