IPL Flashback: Most Matches As Captain In IPL History

This has to be the easiest one to guess. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played the most matches as captain in IPL history. Captaincy and Dhoni have gone hand in hand in the Indian Premier League history. Until 2019, he has played 174 matches as a captain in IPL.

He became the captain of Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural edition and remained at the helm of affairs until 2015. The franchise then faced a 2-year suspension. Dhoni moved to the new franchise Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. He led the Pune-based franchise in that year.

However, Australia’s Steve Smith took his place in 2017 and it was the first time Dhoni played as a player and not a captain. CSK returned in 2018 and so did Dhoni as the captain of the yellow brigade. Under his leadership, CSK has won the IPL title 3 times and also, made it to the playoffs every season. Needless to say, he has the best winning percentage amongst all other captains.

Gautam Gambhir appears second on the list. The left-hander led Delhi Daredevils initially but he came to the fore when he took over the captaincy of Kolkata Knight Riders. The franchise won 2 IPL titles under Gambhir. In 2018, he moved to Delhi Daredevils and led the side in the first half. But his personal form, as well as the team’s performance, declined and as a result, he stepped down.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma follow on the list who have been prominent captains for quite some time of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians respectively. While RCB is yet to win a title under Kohli, Rohit has led MI to 4 titles.

Most Matches in IPL as Captian
Player	Team	Span	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	Winning %
MS Dhoni	CSK, RPS	2008-2020	188	110	77	0	1	58.82
Gautam Gambhir	DD, KKR	2009-2018	129	71	57	1	0	55.42
Virat Kohli	RCB	2011-2020	125	55	63	3	4	46.69
Rohit Sharma	MI	2013-2020	116	68	44	4	0	60.34
Adam Gilchrist	DC, KXIP	2008-2013	74	35	39	0	0	47.29
David Warner	DD, SRH	2013-2020	63	34	28	1	0	54.76
Shane Warne	RR	2008-2011	55	30	24	1	0	55.45
Virender Sehwag	DD, KXIP	2008-2015	53	28	24	1	0	53.77
Sachin Tendulkar	MI	2008-2011	51	30	21	0	0	58.82
Rahul Dravid	RR, RCB	2008-2013	48	22	26	0	0	45.83

-Stats as of IPL 2020

Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram