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Captaincy in IPL is quite different compared to international cricket or domestic matches. Generally, players from multiple countries feature in the same playing XI of an IPL game. Hence, the language barrier makes it difficult to communicate within the squad.
There is also pressure from the franchise owners to ensure that the team performs well in the competition. Quite a few big names struggled while leading a squad in the IPL, proving that leadership in this competition is not everyone's cup of tea.
However, many players have had an extended stay as their IPL team's captain, thanks to their excellent captaincy record. Such leaders have led their teams for multiple seasons. So far, there are nine players who have captained over 50 IPL matches. Here's a list of the top five players with the most IPL matches as captain.
5. Adam Gilchrist - 74 IPL matches
Adam Gilchrist was the second captain to win the Indian Premier League trophy. He joined the Deccan Chargers in the inaugural IPL season and played a few matches under VVS Laxman's captaincy before replacing the Team India legend as captain.
Gilchrist led the Chargers to their maiden IPL title in the 2009 season, while the Chargers finished fourth in 2010. Although Gilchrist performed well for the Deccan Chargers, the franchise released him before the 2011 mega auction.
The veteran Australian wicketkeeper then became a member of the Punjab Kings squad. The Mohali-based franchise soon elected him as their new skipper. Gilchrist captained in a total of 74 IPL matches, where his team won 35 times. His win percentage in the competition was 47.29%.
4. Rohit Sharma - 117 matches
Interestingly, the man who holds the record for the most IPL trophies is not the player to have captained in the most matches. Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians from Ricky Ponting in 2013.
Since then, he has led the side in 117 matches, where MI have registered 68 wins and 45 losses. Currently, Rohit has the best win percentage among the captains who have led their team in at least 50 games.
The two-time defending champions are looking forward to completing a hat-trick of championship wins in IPL 2021. It will be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma can become the first skipper in IPL history to achieve this feat.
3. Virat Kohli - 126 IPL matches
Virat Kohli has represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL since day one. The right-handed batsman was a U-19 player when RCB drafted him into their squad. At the moment, he is the face of the franchise.
Virat made his IPL captaincy debut in 2011, and 2013 was the first season where he became Bangalore's full-time skipper. So far, Kohli has led the Bangalore-based franchise in 126 matches, recording 56 wins and 63 defeats.
His win percentage is below 50 right now, but looking at how the Royal Challengers Bangalore have begun their IPL 2021 campaign, it seems likely Virat Kohli's win percentage will improve before the 2022 edition of the tournament.
2. Gautam Gambhir - 129 matches
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir will go down as one of the most successful captains in IPL history. The left-handed batsman led the Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) in the initial seasons before moving to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gambhir brought his 'A' game to the table at KKR, both as a player and as a captain. He guided the Knight Riders to the title in 2012 and 2014. Even in the seasons where KKR did not win the championship, they always performed well in the league stage.
Surprisingly, Gambhir left Kolkata after 2017. He wished to end his career with the Delhi-based franchise. However, he could not finish his journey on a grand note as the Delhi Daredevils struggled under his captaincy in 2018.
Overall, Gambhir played the skipper's role 129 times in IPL history, where his team registered 71 victories and 57 defeats.
1. MS Dhoni - 189 matches
MS Dhoni held the record for the most successful IPL skipper for quite some time before Rohit Sharma shattered his record. Dhoni has been the leader of the Chennai Super Kings team since the 2008 season.
After CSK received a suspension after IPL 2015, Dhoni skippered the Rising Pune Supergiant in a few games. The wicket-keeper batsman has captained 189 times in the IPL, with his team emerging victorious 110 times.
Unfortunately, Dhoni's team could not get off to a winning start in IPL 2021. The Delhi Capitals beat them by seven wickets in Mumbai. Nevertheless, CSK are famous for making comebacks in the tournament.
If MS Dhoni captains the Chennai-based franchise in all league games this year, he could become the first player to lead a team 200 times in the IPL.
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