In a T20 game, where the pendulum swings from one end to the other after every over, the role of the captain becomes even more critical. In the IPL, a captain’s skills are put to the test as he not only has to take good cricketing decisions but manage players from across the globe. Here are 5 most successful skipper in the history of IPL.
5. Shane Warne (M - 55, W - 30, L - 24, T - 1)
Shane Keith Warne is probably one of the most flamboyant cricketers that the game of cricket has ever seen. He has always been in the news for both cricketing and non-cricketing matters.
4. Sachin Tendulkar (M - 51, W - 30, L - 21)
Sachin Tendulkar did not have a memorable captaincy stint with Team India and thus his name at the top of this list will surprise many. But as they say, “numbers don’t lie”. With a win percentage of 58.82, Tendulkar is the most successful IPL captain going by percentage of victories.
3. Rohit Sharma (M - 75, W - 45, L - 29, T-1 )
The Mumbai batsman became the captain of Mumbai Indians after Ricky Ponting gave up the role in the 2013 season. The change in leadership had a positive impact on Mumbai’s fortunes and they went on to win the title.
2. Gautam Gambhir (M - 123, W - 70, L - 52, T - 1)
Gautam Gambhir started his IPL captaincy stint with Delhi Daredevils in 2009 as a replacement for Virender Sehwag and led them to semi-finals in South Africa. In the next season, he was made full-time captain. But his captaincy came to the fore when he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders and led the team to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (M - 143, W - 83, L - 59)
Most people would have expected Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be at the number one spot in this list of successful IPL captains. Well, if the overall impact on IPL is considered then Dhoni would undoubtedly be at the top.