IPL: The best and worst performing captains of every team

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is around the corner and we can already feel the country buzzing. The players are warming up for yet another testing season of IPL with the fans excited and hyped up. The biggest cricket carnival is back, and none of us can wait any longer.

IPL has been a revelation in the world of cricket, with the money, fame and power involved. To be a part of any team in the IPL is no mean task and none of the players can afford to take their place for granted. And then comes the most important task - captaining the team. Leading the pack in such a testing and daunting league is only reserved for the best and the fortunate. Over the years we have witnessed the transition from a majority of teams opting for foreign internationals as their captain to most of them having Indians as their captain.

Only the best can lead their team to success and some of them rose to the occasion and became successful IPL captains. In this article, we list down the best and worst performing captains (minimum 10 matches) of every team.

#1 Mumbai Indians | Best: Rohit Sharma

Since taking over the team in 2013 after Ricky Ponting stepped down as the captain, Rohit Sharma has become MI's best captain across all the seasons. Having led the team to four seasons of ultimate glory, Sharma has been labelled as the best limited-overs captain in India by many experts. And his win percentage speaks for him, having led Mumbai in 109 matches, winning 64 and losing 43 with 2 tied matches, which makes his win percentage an impressive 59.63%.

Also see – IPL 2020 Players

Worst: Harbhajan Singh

From 2008-2012, Harbhajan has captained the team for 30 matches. While he didn't do too bad, his stats aren't too good as compared to Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar. Out of 30 matches, the team managed to win 14 and lose 14, thereby making his win percentage an average performance of 50%.

#2 Chennai Super Kings | Best: MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings have established their supremacy in the IPL after they reached 10 playoffs and 8 finals. The team, under the leadership of one of the world's best captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has been unstoppable. Dhoni has led the team for 183 matches, winning 113 and losing just 68. It's no surprise that his win percentage is 62.36% after their jaw-dropping record.

Worst: Suresh Raina

Although Raina can't be called the worst captain as he led them for only 6 matches, CSK has had no other captain apart from these two. Out of those 6 matches, CSK won 2, lost 3 and tied 1. He had an average record while leading Gujarat Lions for two seasons but didn't get the same opportunities at CSK.

#Note: There's a chance that this list could be having some new names after this season and that's why we're all eagerly waiting for it to begin.

#3 Sunrisers Hyderabad | Best: David Warner

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) became the champions of IPL in 2016 under the captaincy of David Warner. Warner led from the front, a fact which was evident from the truckload of runs he scored every season and has a win percentage of 55.31%. After the Sandpaper incident, SRH appointed Kane Williamson as the captain for two seasons. But before the commencement of IPL 2020, the franchise has reinstated Warner as their captain.

Worst: Shikhar Dhawan

Although one can't doubt Shikhar Dhawan's batting credentials, his captaincy record isn't that great. Dhawan has led SRH in 16 matches before the management realized that it wasn't in the team's interest to let him continue as the skipper. He led the team to 7 wins while losing 9, having a dismal win percentage of 43.75. Despite all of this, Dhawan remained a vital cog in SRH's wheel until the 2019 season during which he moved to Delhi Capitals.

#4 Rajasthan Royals | Best: Steve Smith

Steve Smith is not only one of the best active batsmen and a part of the Fab Four but is also a genius captain. He led Australia to many successful wins before the incident in South Africa in 2018 and has a good record leading the Royals too. He has captained Rajasthan Royals 13 times, winning 9, losing 3 and 1 no result. This makes his win percentage a whopping 75%. Also, one cannot forget Rising Pune Supergiant's performance under him in 2017 where they were close losing finalists.

Worst: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has mostly had a disappointing result whenever he captained Rajasthan Royals. He took up the captain's role in 24 matches and won just 9 matches while losing 15. His win percentage is a dismal 37.5% which is enough to make him the worst captain in the inaugural champion's history.

#5 Delhi Capitals | Best: Shreyas Iyer

Delhi Capitals (DC) has a long history of captains, with 12 different players leading the team. But the most successful is the most recent one - Shreyas Iyer. The young lad from Mumbai has made Delhi a force to reckon in the IPL after he controversially replaced Gautam Gambhir as the captain mid-season. Out of the 24 games he captained, DC won 13 and lost 10. His win percentage of 56.25% ensures that he holds his position as Delhi's best captain.

Worst: Mahela Jayawardene

The Sri Lankan legend wasn't able to provide the results as the captain of Delhi Daredevils as he did as the coach of Mumbai Indians. He captained them for 18 matches and won just 6, having a win percentage of only 36.11%

#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore | Best: Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble was an important part of the RCB set-up early in the decade and was also given the captain's role which he excelled at. Out of 35 matches he captained, RCB won 19 and lost 16 with a win percentage of 54.28%. Daniel Vettori came a close second with 53.57% but it's Jumbo who gets the bragging rights.

Worst: Rahul Dravid

RCB made Rahul Dravid the captain in the first season after his excellent performance for the country but he couldn't replicate his success in the league. He captained 14 matches and won just 4, having a terrible win percentage of 28.57% with the Men in Red.

#7 Kolkata Knight Riders | Best: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir was nothing short of a legend for KKR, helping them lift the trophy twice in 3 years. He captained the team from 2011 to 2017 in 122 matches. He won 69 matches and lost 51 and had an above-average win percentage as a captain with 57.43% Although he spent his last season at Delhi Daredevils, he'll be remembered fondly for his stint with KKR.

Worst: Brendon McCullum

Baz was a master batsman for KKR and also set the league on fire with his knock of 158* in the first match of IPL. However, he couldn't captain the team with the same potential. In the 2009 season, he captained KKR for 13 games and won just 3 of them, lost 9 and tied 1. KKR had a terrible season then, and McCullum ended his stint with the team in a terrible fashion, finding himself on the unwanted side of the record books.

#8 Kings XI Punjab | Best: Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was the first-ever captain for the Punjab team and 12 seasons later, remains the best ever for them. He led KXIP in 29 matches and won 17 and lost 12. He had a good enough win percentage of 58.62%. He was a young and energetic captain who led from the front, and KXIP have rarely been able to fill that void.

Worst: Kumar Sangakkara

Shockingly, one of Sri Lanka's best is KXIP's worst ever. Sangakkara, who captained Sri Lanka successfully in a lot of matches, didn't find the same success with KXIP. He was the captain in the 3rd season and the results were awful. Out of 13, they won 3 and lost 9 with 1 tied match. After that, he never captained the Punjab franchise again.