Who is the Best Captain in the IPL? A List of the Most Successful Captains in IPL History

The IPL is hands down one of the best and most cutthroat cricket leagues out there. So it takes something really special to lead any team in this super competitive league.

Aside from batting and bowling, being a captain is probably the trickiest job in the IPL, and there are some players who have nailed that role.

With that said, let’s check out the top five best captains in IPL history:

1. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is widely considered the most successful IPL captain. He led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Super Giants (RPS) in the cash-rich league and his record speaks for itself: five IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) and a win percentage of 59.37%.

2. Rohit Sharma

The former Mumbai Indians‘ captain, Rohit Sharma is another force to be reckoned with in the IPL. He led Mumbai Indians to a record five IPL championships (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and has a win percentage of 56.32%.

3. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir stands out as another fantastic captain from the IPL. Though unsuccessful with the Delhi Daredevils, he transformed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) into champions, winning them two titles in 2012 and 2014. He has a win percentage of 55.42% across his 129 matches as captain.

4. Virat Kohli

The former Indian captain, Virat Kohli led the Royal Challengers Bangalore with an aggressive style. He couldn’t secure an IPL title during his tenure as RCB captain, but his winning percentage is decent enough – 48.56%.

5. David Warner

The veteran Australian batter David Warner led two teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Capitals. He achieved remarkable success with SRH, leading them to an IPL title with his aggressive leadership in 2016. However, he couldn’t replicate the same feat with Delhi. Overall, his win percentage as captain stands at 49.39%.