Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has redefined leadership on a cricket field through his unmatched demeanor and extraordinary tangible success in his illustrious career. The now-44-year-old was one of the primary architects behind India's transformation from dreamers to perennial contenders in ICC events.Under Dhoni, India broke their 'finals hoodoo' and won three ICC titles between 2007 and 2013. The champion cricketer won over fans around the globe with his uber-cool personality, despite being the captain of arguably the most intense cricketing nation.International cricket aside, Dhoni also achieved phenomenal success at the IPL level, leading the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to all five of their joint-record five titles. He remains India's and the IPL's most successful captain with 178 and 136 wins, respectively.While captaincy is the first word that comes to mind for most when MS Dhoni gets mentioned, the wicketkeeper has played under several cricketers in all forms of the game. Besides the obvious names like Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Anil Kumble, among others, Dhoni has played under several lesser-known captains.Here, we look at five cricketers who have captained sides with MS Dhoni in the XI.#1 Ajinkya RahaneAjinkya Rahane is famously remembered for leading Team India to their most memorable Test series win in Australia in 2020/21. The 37-year-old, apart from captaining India in 11 games across formats, has also led in the IPL.Apart from captaining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the most recent IPL 2025, Rahane also led the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2018 and 2019. However, a lesser-known fact about the right-hander is that he led the now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giant (RPS) for one game in IPL 2017.With regular captain Steve Smith out with an illness, Rahane led RPS in their encounter against the Delhi Capitals (DC). MS Dhoni, who led the franchise in 2016, was overlooked and played under Rahane in the said match.Unfortunately, RPS suffered a heavy defeat by 97 runs with Rahane and Dhoni failing with the willow, scoring 10 and 11, respectively.#2 Suresh RainaIf MS Dhoni is widely regarded as the IPL's all-time best captain, he can thank former left-hander Suresh Raina for being his most reliable contributor. The duo helped CSK become the IPL's most consistent and successful franchise, with the fans fondly calling them 'Thala' and 'Chinna Thala'.Yet, the roles were reversed once in the 2012 Champions League T20 (CLT20) when CSK played Yorkshire. The match was a dead rubber, as a result of which Dhoni decided to relinquish captaincy and wicketkeeping duties and played as a specialist batter.He scored a crucial 23-ball 31, while Raina added 31, in CSK's four-wicket victory.#3 Varun AaronMS Dhoni rarely played in domestic competitions, excluding the IPL, during his international career. However, the gloveman made a rare appearance for his domestic side, Jharkhand, in the 2015 Vijay Hazare Trophy.Yet, Varun Aaron led the side throughout the competition, with Dhoni playing as the wicketkeeper. Jharkhand got knocked out in the quarterfinal against Delhi despite a valiant 70* by Dhoni.However, he struggled in the tournament with the bat, averaging under 36 at a strike rate of 67.54 in seven games. Incidentally, Aaron's international debut came under Dhoni in 2011.#4 Devang GandhiFormer Indian batter Devang Gandhi captained the East Zone side in the 2003/04 Deodhar Trophy, with MS Dhoni opening the batting as a specialist batter. The tournament, which was India's premier 50-over competition in the domestic circuit, played a massive role in Dhoni's selection to the Indian team at the end of 2004.The right-hander finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 244 runs in four innings at an average of 61. As a result, East Zone finished atop the standings with four wins in as many games.Meanwhile, Gandhi played four Tests and three ODIs for India in the late 1990s.#5 Rohan GavaskarThe legendary Sunil Gavaskar's son, Rohan Gavaskar, captained East Zone in the 2002/03 Deodhar Trophy, with MS Dhoni donning the wicketkeeping gloves. However, unlike the following season, the gloveman's heroics could not impact East Zone's performances on this occasion.Dhoni scored 127 runs at an average of over 63 in three matches, yet the East Zone won only one out of their three completed games. Meanwhile, Rohan soon broke through in the Indian lineup in 2004 and played 11 ODIs in his brief international career.