Indian Premium League, also known as IPL, is one of the most successful and most recognized T20 leagues globally. The 14th edition of IPL is currently going on successfully, where you can see star cricketers worldwide. This is a tournament where you can enjoy high-intensity and highly competitive T20 matches.
The first edition of IPL happened in 2008, and over the years, various captains have taken up the responsibility to take their team to new heights of success in this competition. Some captains have achieved success and give results as per the expectation from the franchise. Some have failed miserably to provide the win only because of the unwanted pressure of performance.
Today in this post, we will discuss ten such captains who achieved a lot of success in IPL History. So let’s get started with more details.
Ten successful Captains in IPL history
1.Ms. Dhoni
No doubt MS Dhoni is one of the best and number one captains in IPL history. Thala, Dhoni is well known for his street smart captaincy. He seems very cool even during difficult match situation and his calmness always help him to take a right and fruitful decision in a crucial situation. MS Dhoni won three IPL titles for Chennai super kings. CSK managed to win 2010, 2011, and 2018 IPL season titles under the leadership of Dhoni. Dhoni holds a 60%-win record where he captained in 174 games and won in 104 matches. Captain cool is one of the best captains in the History of cricket and IPL and comes at the top of the list.
2.Rohit Sharma
Mumbai declared Rohit Sharma as captain after Ricky Ponting in 2013, and that was an amazing decision for MI. Hitman proved that he is one of the best captains in international cricket. Rohit managed to win 5 titles for Mumbai Indians in IPL. Rohit has exceptional leadership ability, and his coolness gives him success. Hitman Captained in 104 games till now and managed to win in 60 games which is almost a 58.65% winning rate. This amazing record makes him one of the best captains in IPL history.
3.Gautam Gambhir
Former lefthander Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir was leading the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was exceptional during his captain period and one of the most respected cricketers by the owner. Gambhir showed his smart cricketing brain and captaincy skill in the 2012 and 2014 editions of IPL. He managed to win two IPL titles during his captain for KKR. Gautam captained 129 matches for KKR and won 71 games with a 55.42 winning percentage, making him one of the most successful captains in IPL history.
4.Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the only player who is associated with a single franchise till now. RCB handed over the captaincy to Virat very young, and Kohli proved it right from the very beginning. Kohli has captained the Royal Challenger Bangalore in 110 games and won in 49 matches. His winning rate is 47.16% as captain, but his batting performance is amazing in his captaincy period. Till now, Virat Failed to win the IPL title, but no doubt he is one of the most successful captains in IPL history.
5.Adam Gilchrist
Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist is another successful captain in IPL history. In his IPL career, he captained Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab and held a moderate win rate of 47.29. In 74 matches, he led his franchise and ended up winning 45 matches and 39 losses. He captained Deccan Chargers and gave the franchise the title in the 2009 season of IPL.
6.Shane Warne
Spin king and Australian cricket legend Shane Warne managed to win the first IPL season with his captaincy. He was in a dual role in that season for Rajasthan Royals and performed amazingly. Royals were termed as the underdogs and suddenly thrashed big teams in the IPL 2008 season and won the trophy against all odds. Warner captained in 55 matches for Rajasthan Royals and managed to win his side on 30 occasions with an amazing winning percentage.
7.Virender Sehwag
Former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag is another big name on our list of most successful captains in IPL history. This aggressive batsman and captain led Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab on 53 occasions and win 28 times. Though he failed to take his side to the semi-finals, he has a memorable 2012 season where they topped the group, and Sehwag has a 53.77% winning rate during captaincy in IPL.
8.Sachin Tendulkar
God of cricket, Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is another big name who comes on the list of most successful captains in IPL history. He captained 51 games in IPL for Mumbai Indians and successfully pulled Mumbai Indians’ side 30 times as the winning side. With a high winning percentage of 58.82-win rate, he is undoubtedly one of the best and successful captains in the history of IPL.
9.Steve Smith
Steve Smith is another captain who holds the record of a 67.85%-win rate. Smith captained Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and took his side into the finals of the tournament. He played some of the marvelous innings in difficult situations and handled the pressure amazingly. His crucial 49 runs with 51 balls in testing condition were exceptional and but sadly, he failed to win the final game against Mumbai just by 1 run. Smith has captained only 29 games in IPL history but ended up with 18 games and 9 losses. No doubt he is another successful captain in the history of IPL.
10.David warner
David Warner was the most successful captain in the 2016 IPL season, where he guided his team Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden title. Warner led the Orange Army exceptionally with his impressive captaincy skills and showed his aggressive batting performance with amazing batting form in 2016. In that season, he scored the second-most runs after Virat Kohli. Warner holds an unbelievable record of 26 wins out of 47 games he has captained to SRH, with a 55.31% winning rate.