5 most successful captains in IPL history
A captain is someone who leads his team from the front be it any format Tests, ODIs, T20Is, or the T20 league matches. It is the skipper who takes all the decisions on the field and he is the vital cog in the team’s success. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) there have been some leaders who have taken their team to a different level with their captaincy skills.
Let’s take a look at the 5 most successful captains in the history of IPL (in terms of win percentage) (min 50 matches):
5.Gautam Gambhir (55.03%)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) former skipper Gautam Gambhir won two IPL titles with the team in the year 2012 and 2014. He is the third most successful captain after Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in terms of trophies. Gambhir led KKR in 129 matches, winning 71 and losing 58 clashes. He recorded a winning percentage of 55.03 which is the fifth-best amongst the captains in IPL history. He was bought by KKR in 2011 and was appointed the captain straight away from that season.
4.Shane Warne (56.36%)
Late Shane Warne was the first captain to lift the IPL trophy in the inaugural season in 2008. The Australian captained the Rajasthan Royals (RR) side in 55 matches winning 31 (including the super over win) and losing 24. RR were underdogs going into the maiden IPL edition but Warne scripted a fairy tale story with RR to win the tournament. He had a winning percentage of 56.36 in IPL.
3.Sachin Tendulkar (58.82%)
Though Sachin Tendulkar never won the title as captain of Mumbai Indians (MI), he has the third-best winning percentage of 58.82% in the IPL. Sachin led MI to the finals of the 2010 edition but lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the summit clash. He led the team in 51 matches, winning 30 and losing 21 times.
2.MS Dhoni (59.60%)
The second-most successful leader in IPL history in terms of trophies, MS Dhoni has won the title four times for CSK. They clinched back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011 and also won in 2018 and 2021. Dhoni has a winning percentage of 59.60% as he tasted success on 121 occasions out of 204 matches. 82 times he faced defeat and one game had no result.
1.Rohit Sharma (59.68%)
The most successful captain in IPL, Rohit Sharma has led MI to record 5 title wins. Rohit captained the side to trophy victories in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. He was appointed the captain midway through the 2013 season and since then took the team to new heights. He skippered the team in 129 matches, winning 77 and losing 52 with a winning percentage of 59.68%.
