IPL 2018: Ranking the captains based on winning percentage

The Indian Premier League has been one of the best cricket tournaments in the world. Watched by millions of fans over the world, IPL has become a favourite time-pass for the fans in the summers. There is no doubt that the tournament has raised the standard of cricket which has indirectly led to the evolution of the batsmen and the bowlers.

One of the sweetest sides of the tournament has been the clash of the Indian teammates as the captains of various teams. The players who fight out together in internationals become rivals during the two-month long extravaganza. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli who can be seen partnering in the blues can be seen in different coloured kits standing against each other during these two months. All this has made the tournament interesting.

In IPL 2018, out of the eight teams, seven have appointed Indian captains while one has appointed an overseas captain. Here are the five captains that will be captaining in IPL 2018 ranked on the basis of their winning percentage in the IPL.

Note 1: The winning percentage does not take into consideration the matches that ended in no result and counts tied matches as half a win whether or not the team won or lost in the Super Over.

Note 2: Kings XI Punjab's captain R. Ashwin, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson and Rajasthan Royals' captain Ajinkya Rahane have never captained in the IPL.

#5 Dinesh Karthik- Kolkata Knight Riders (33.33%)

Matches-6, Won-2, Lost-4, Tie-0, No Result-0

After much anticipation, Kolkata Knight Riders finally appointed Dinesh Karthik as their captain. The team management didn't have a lot to choose from as there wasn't any player who had captained any side at the highest level. Their former skipper Gautam Gambhir shifted to Delhi Daredevils which left a big void in their camp.

Karthik does not have much A-level captaincy experience. He has captained in a few Ranji Trophy matches and is the captain of Tuti Patriots in the Tamil Nadu Premiere League. Though the wicket-keeper captained Delhi Daredevils in a few matches, the results weren't great.

It will be interesting to see how he leads his new team which is already suffering from a number of problems.

In the IPL, Karthik has captained in 6 matches out of which his team has won 2 and lost 4.

#4 Virat Kohli- Royal Challengers Bangalore (52.05%)

Virat Kohli will use the experience he has got after captaining the Indian team

Matches-76, Won-37, Lost-34, Tie-2, No Result-3

Virat Kohli, the present captain of the Indian cricket team has been the unluckiest of captains in the IPL. After Daniel Vettori's retirement, Kohli was announced as the captain in 2013 and has led the team since then. In the five years of his captaincy, the Bangalore team has been able to make it to the playoffs only twice.

His best season came in 2016 when he marched his team into the final but failed to win the title as Bangalore's batting order collapsed while chasing. One of the biggest reasons for Bangalore's failure has been their reliance on batting rather than bowling.

Overall in the IPL, Virat Kohli has captained in 76 matches out of which his team has won 37 and lost 34 while two of the matches were tied and his team won one and lost one in the Super Over. Three of the matches ended in no result under his captaincy.

#3 Gautam Gambhir- Delhi Daredevils (58.33%)

Gautam Gambhir will lead his home team Delhi Daredevils this year

Matches-114, Won-66, Lost-47, Tie-1, No Result-0

Gautam Gambhir was a fortune turner for Kolkata Knight Riders when he joined the team in 2011. Kolkata had failed to make it to the playoffs in the first three seasons of the IPL but all of it changed when Gambhir joined them in 2011 and was appointed the captain.

In the seven season that he has captained the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team has qualified for playoffs five times and won the IPL title twice in 2012 and 2014.

Gambhir had publicly shown his desire to play for his home team Delhi Daredevils once again and the Daredevils successfully bought him at the auction this year. He will captain his home team which is yet to play an IPL final and the Delhi fans are hoping that he will turn the team's fortune just like he did for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Overall in the IPL, Gautam Gambhir has captained in 114 matches out of which his team has won 66 and lost 47 while one of the matches was tied which his team lost in the Super Over.

#2 MS Dhoni- Chennai Super Kings (58.45%)

Dhoni will continue his legacy with the Chennai Super Kings

Matches-143, Won-83, Lost-59, Tie-0, No Result-1

MS Dhoni, the former India skipper has been the most consistent captain in the league. He has led Chennai Super Kings since the inception of the tournament in 2008 and the team has qualified for the playoffs every single season they have played in. CSK has played in six IPL finals, which is the most by any team in the tournament and have won two of them.

His only bad season came in 2016 when he led Rising Pune Supergiant and the team managed to win only 5 of the 14 matches, finishing second last on the points table. He was sacked from captaincy in the following season when Steve Smith was handed over the captain's duty. With the return of Chennai Super Kings after completing a two-year ban, Dhoni will once again be seen captaining in the yellows.

Overall in the IPL, MS Dhoni has captained in 143 matches out of which his team has won 83 and lost 59 while one of the matches ended in no result.

#1 Rohit Sharma- Mumbai Indians (60.60%)

Rohit Sharma has been the most successful captain in the league so far

Matches-66, Won-40, Lost-26, Tie-0, No Result-0

Rohit Sharma has been the most successful captain in the IPL, leading Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles. He led Mumbai Indians to victory in 2013, 2015 and 2017 seasons respectively.

Rohit was appointed as the captain of the Mumbai franchise in the 2013 season after Ricky Ponting was benched following poor form. Mumbai Indians finished second on the points table, winning 11 of the 16 matches that season. Later in the year MI also won the Champions Trophy under his captaincy.

Overall in the IPL, Rohit Sharma has captained in 66 matches out of which his team has won 40 and lost 26.