Updated October 2026 | All stats are as of the end of IPL 2026 (final played 31 May 2026).
Quick answer: IPL captain records show MS Dhoni as the most successful: he has led in the most matches (235) and won the most (136). He and Rohit Sharma have won five titles each, the most of any captain. Among captains with at least 50 matches, the best win percentage belongs to Sachin Tendulkar (58.82 from 51 matches), with Dhoni next at 57.87. This hub page ranks IPL captains on matches, wins, win percentage, titles and finals, and explains the limits of each measure.
| Captain | Teams led | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | Chennai, Rising Pune Supergiant | 235 | 136 | 97 | 57.87 | 5 |
| Rohit Sharma | Mumbai | 158 | 87 | 67 | 55.06 | 5 |
| Gautam Gambhir | Delhi, Kolkata | 129 | 71 | 57 | 55.04 | 2 |
| Virat Kohli | Bangalore | 143 | 66 | 70 | 46.15 | 0 |
Win percentage is calculated here as wins divided by matches played, so it can differ by a few hundredths from tables that treat ties and no results differently.
IPL Captain Records: Most Matches as Captain
Captaincy records reward longevity, and only three captains have led in more than 130 matches. The table lists the ten captains with the most matches, with the seasons in which each first and last captained.
| Rank | Captain | Teams | First to last season | Matches | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant | 2008 to 2025 | 235 | 136 | 97 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | Mumbai Indians | 2013 to 2023 | 158 | 87 | 67 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2011 to 2023 | 143 | 66 | 70 |
| 4 | Gautam Gambhir | Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders | 2009 to 2018 | 129 | 71 | 57 |
| 5 | Shreyas Iyer | Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab | 2018 to 2026 | 101 | 55 | 41 |
| 6 | David Warner | Delhi, Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2013 to 2023 | 83 | 40 | 41 |
| 7 | Adam Gilchrist | Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab | 2008 to 2013 | 74 | 35 | 39 |
| 8 | Rishabh Pant | Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants | 2021 to 2026 | 71 | 33 | 36 |
| 9 | Hardik Pandya | Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians | 2022 to 2026 | 70 | 37 | 33 |
| 10 | Sanju Samson | Rajasthan Royals | 2021 to 2025 | 67 | 33 | 32 |
Dhoni leads by a wide margin: his 235 matches are 77 more than Rohit Sharma’s 158 and more than the combined total of Gambhir (129) and Warner (83). His span, from 2008 to 2025, is also the longest, covering almost the whole history of the league. Shreyas Iyer is the only captain in the top five who also captained in 2026, with 101 matches.
Dhoni’s totals include the 2025 season, when he took over as Chennai captain for the last nine matches after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out injured.
Best Win Percentage
Win percentage is the fairest way to compare captains who led in different numbers of matches, but it needs a minimum. A captain with 10 matches can have any percentage. The table below uses captains with at least 50 matches, and shows wins divided by matches.
| Rank | Captain | Matches | Won | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 51 | 30 | 58.82 |
| 2 | MS Dhoni | 235 | 136 | 57.87 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | 158 | 87 | 55.06 |
| 4 | Gautam Gambhir | 129 | 71 | 55.04 |
| 5 | Shane Warne | 55 | 30 | 54.55 |
| 6 | Shreyas Iyer | 101 | 55 | 54.46 |
| 7 | Hardik Pandya | 70 | 37 | 52.86 |
| 8 | Virender Sehwag | 53 | 28 | 52.83 |
| 9 | Sanju Samson | 67 | 33 | 49.25 |
| 10 | KL Rahul | 64 | 31 | 48.44 |
| 11 | David Warner | 83 | 40 | 48.19 |
| 12 | Adam Gilchrist | 74 | 35 | 47.30 |
| 13 | Rishabh Pant | 71 | 33 | 46.48 |
| 14 | Virat Kohli | 143 | 66 | 46.15 |
| 15 | Ajinkya Rahane | 52 | 19 | 36.54 |
Three points stand out. Tendulkar’s 58.82 is the highest on the list, but it comes from 51 matches, so Dhoni’s 57.87 over 235 is the more impressive record. Warne, the first title-winning captain, won 30 of his 55 matches. And Kohli, who led in the third-most matches, is 14th of the 15, ahead only of Ajinkya Rahane (19 wins from 52), with a record of 66 wins and 70 defeats.
Small samples can produce much higher numbers. Rajat Patidar has won 20 of his 28 matches as captain, a win percentage of 71.43, but that is a short record, and it includes his two title-winning seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Who has a winning record?
| Captain | Won | Lost | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 136 | 97 | +39 |
| Rohit Sharma | 87 | 67 | +20 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 71 | 57 | +14 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 55 | 41 | +14 |
| Hardik Pandya | 37 | 33 | +4 |
| Sanju Samson | 33 | 32 | +1 |
| David Warner | 40 | 41 | −1 |
| Rishabh Pant | 33 | 36 | −3 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 35 | 39 | −4 |
| Virat Kohli | 66 | 70 | −4 |
Six of the ten captains with the most matches have won more than they have lost. Kohli and Gilchrist share the worst record by this measure, four more defeats than wins, while Warner’s 40 wins and 41 defeats are almost even.
Most Titles as Captain
| Captain | Titles | Franchise and seasons |
|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 5 | Chennai Super Kings: 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023 |
| Rohit Sharma | 5 | Mumbai Indians: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2 | Kolkata Knight Riders: 2012, 2014 |
| Rajat Patidar | 2 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 2025, 2026 |
| Shane Warne | 1 | Rajasthan Royals: 2008 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 1 | Deccan Chargers: 2009 |
| David Warner | 1 | Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2016 |
| Hardik Pandya | 1 | Gujarat Titans: 2022 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 1 | Kolkata Knight Riders: 2024 |
Nine captains have won the 19 titles, and Dhoni and Rohit have won ten of them between them. Kolkata Knight Riders are the only franchise to have won the title under two different captains. The full season-by-season list of winning captains is further down this page.
Finals led
| Captain | Finals led | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Rohit Sharma | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Rajat Patidar | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Dhoni has captained in the most finals, 10, followed by Rohit Sharma with five, Shreyas Iyer with three, and Gambhir, Hardik Pandya and Rajat Patidar with two each. Rohit, Gambhir and Patidar won every final they led. Shreyas Iyer is the only captain to have led three different sides into a final: Delhi Capitals in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and Punjab Kings in 2025.
Every title-winning captain, season by season
| Season | Champion | Winning captain |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rajasthan Royals | Shane Warne |
| 2009 | Deccan Chargers | Adam Gilchrist |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings | MS Dhoni |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings | MS Dhoni |
| 2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Gautam Gambhir |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians | Rohit Sharma |
| 2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Gautam Gambhir |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | Rohit Sharma |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | David Warner |
| 2017 | Mumbai Indians | Rohit Sharma |
| 2018 | Chennai Super Kings | MS Dhoni |
| 2019 | Mumbai Indians | Rohit Sharma |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians | Rohit Sharma |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | MS Dhoni |
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans | Hardik Pandya |
| 2023 | Chennai Super Kings | MS Dhoni |
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Shreyas Iyer |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajat Patidar |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajat Patidar |
Titles by five-season block
| Seasons | Winning captains | Different captains |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 to 2012 | Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni (twice), Gautam Gambhir | 4 |
| 2013 to 2017 | Rohit Sharma (three times), Gautam Gambhir, David Warner | 3 |
| 2018 to 2022 | MS Dhoni (twice), Rohit Sharma (twice), Hardik Pandya | 3 |
| 2023 to 2026 (four seasons) | MS Dhoni, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar (twice) | 3 |
Rohit Sharma’s three titles in 2013 to 2017 and Dhoni’s two in each of the first and third blocks show how the title has moved between a small group of captains. Only one captain, Dhoni, has won in three of the four blocks.
Matches per title
Dividing matches by titles gives a simple measure of how long a captain needed to win a trophy.
| Captain | Matches | Titles | Matches per title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 158 | 5 | 31.6 |
| MS Dhoni | 235 | 5 | 47.0 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 129 | 2 | 64.5 |
Rohit Sharma has won a title every 31.6 matches, against 47.0 for Dhoni and 64.5 for Gambhir. Kohli, with 143 matches and no title, has no figure. The measure is rough, because it depends on how many seasons a captain led, but it adds a different view to the win percentage.
Youngest and Oldest Captains
Virat Kohli is the youngest captain in IPL history. He was 22 years and 187 days old when he led Royal Challengers Bangalore against Rajasthan Royals in 2011, a few months before he took the job full-time. Steve Smith, who led Pune Warriors India in 2012, is the only other captain to have done it at 22. The table shows the age on each player’s first match as captain.
| Rank | Captain | Age on debut as captain | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 22 years 187 days | Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals, 2011 |
| 2 | Steve Smith | 22 years 344 days | Pune Warriors India, 2012 |
| 3 | Suresh Raina | 23 years 112 days | Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils, 2010 |
| 4 | Riyan Parag | 23 years 133 days | Rajasthan Royals, 2025 |
| 5 | Shreyas Iyer | 23 years 142 days | Delhi Daredevils, 2018 |
| 6 | Rishabh Pant | 23 years 188 days | Delhi Capitals, 2021 |
MS Dhoni is the oldest. He was 43 years and 278 days old when he led Chennai Super Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders on 11 April 2025, his first match back as captain after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out, and he extended the record in each of his remaining matches that season. Before him, the record belonged to Shane Warne, who captained Rajasthan Royals in his final season, 2011. The table shows the age on each player’s oldest match as captain.
| Rank | Captain | Age as captain | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Dhoni | 43 years 278 days | Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders, 11 April 2025 |
| 2 | Shane Warne | 41 years 249 days | Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, 2011 |
| 3 | Adam Gilchrist | 41 years 185 days | Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians, 2013 |
| 4 | Rahul Dravid | 40 years 133 days | Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, 2013 |
| 5 | Sourav Ganguly | 39 years 316 days | Pune Warriors India v Kolkata Knight Riders, 2012 |
Another unusual record is the number of teams a captain has led. Shreyas Iyer has captained three different teams, Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab, and took each of the last two to a final.
Finals record by franchise
Captains and franchises are closely linked, so the finals record of each franchise adds context to the leaderboard.
| Franchise | Finals | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Mumbai Indians | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Gujarat Titans | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Punjab Kings | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Delhi Capitals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Deccan Chargers | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Chennai have played in 10 of the 19 finals, and the 10 finals Dhoni captained are the same ones. Mumbai’s five wins in six finals match Rohit Sharma’s five wins in five finals as captain, with the sixth final, in 2010, lost under a different captain.
A worked example: comparing Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer
Gambhir and Iyer have the same difference between wins and defeats, +14. Here is how to tell them apart.
- Start with the difference. Gambhir won 71 and lost 57. Iyer won 55 and lost 41. Both are +14.
- Convert to a percentage. Gambhir’s wins from 129 matches are 55.04 per cent, and Iyer’s from 101 matches are 54.46 per cent.
- Look at the sample. Gambhir led in 28 more matches, which makes his percentage a slightly more settled figure.
- Add titles. Gambhir has two (2012 and 2014), both with Kolkata, and Iyer has one (2024), also with Kolkata.
- Add finals. Iyer has led three sides into finals (2020, 2024 and 2025) and won one, while Gambhir led in two and won both.
The result is that the two are almost level on regular results, with Gambhir ahead on titles and Iyer ahead on the number of finals reached.
How to Read Captaincy Records
No single number settles which captain is best, because a captain is only as strong as the side. These are the main cautions.
- Team quality matters. The two captains with the most titles, Dhoni and Rohit, led two of the most successful franchises for most of their careers.
- Longer records are more reliable. A win percentage from 28 matches can swing widely. One from 235 is much more stable.
- Ties and no results change the percentage slightly. Dhoni’s 136 wins and 97 defeats leave two matches with no win or defeat, while Kohli’s 66 wins and 70 defeats leave seven.
- The league changed. It had eight teams in 2008, ten in 2011, nine in 2012 and 2013, eight from 2014 to 2021 and ten since 2022, so a captain’s opponents differ from era to era.
- Titles and win percentage measure different things. Rohit and Gambhir are almost level on win percentage (55.06 and 55.04), but Rohit has three more titles and has led in three more finals.
Directory of Captaincy Pages
These pages on the site cover the captains and teams that appear in this ranking.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| MS Dhoni: IPL career stats | The leader in matches, wins and titles as captain |
| Rohit Sharma: IPL career stats | Five titles with Mumbai Indians |
| Virat Kohli: IPL career stats | The third-most matches as captain |
| David Warner: IPL career stats | The 2016 title with Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Hardik Pandya: IPL career stats | The 2022 title with Gujarat Titans |
| Shreyas Iyer: IPL career stats | Three different teams in three finals |
| Rishabh Pant: IPL career stats | Captain of Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants |
| Chennai Super Kings IPL history | Dhoni’s five titles in context |
| Mumbai Indians IPL history | Rohit Sharma’s five titles in context |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL history | From Kohli to Patidar |
| MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli | Two captains compared |
| Rohit Sharma vs MS Dhoni | Five titles each |
Related guides: most successful IPL captains, greatest IPL XIs, the history of the IPL, IPL records, all captaincy guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most successful IPL captain?
MS Dhoni is the most successful IPL captain: five titles with Chennai Super Kings, the most matches (235) and wins (136) as captain, and a win percentage of 57.87. Rohit Sharma is next, with five titles and a win percentage of 55.06.
Which captain has won the most IPL titles?
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have each won five IPL titles as captain. Dhoni won with Chennai Super Kings in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023, and Rohit won with Mumbai Indians in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Who has led in the most IPL matches?
MS Dhoni, with 235 matches for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant. Rohit Sharma is second with 158, Virat Kohli third with 143 and Gautam Gambhir fourth with 129.
Who has the best win percentage among IPL captains?
Among captains with at least 50 matches, Sachin Tendulkar has the highest win percentage, 58.82 from 51 matches. MS Dhoni is next at 57.87 from 235 matches, the best of any captain with a long record.
How many finals has MS Dhoni captained?
MS Dhoni has captained in 10 IPL finals and won five of them, in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. He lost the finals of 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
Has Virat Kohli won the IPL as captain?
No. Virat Kohli captained Royal Challengers Bangalore in 143 matches, winning 66 and losing 70, and reached one final, in 2016, which they lost.
Who has the most wins as an IPL captain?
MS Dhoni, with 136 wins from 235 matches. Rohit Sharma is second with 87 and Gautam Gambhir third with 71.
Which IPL captains have a losing record?
Among the ten captains with the most matches, four have lost more than they have won: Virat Kohli (66 wins, 70 defeats), Adam Gilchrist (35 and 39), Rishabh Pant (33 and 36) and David Warner (40 and 41).
Who captained the first IPL champions?
Shane Warne captained Rajasthan Royals to the first IPL title in 2008, beating Chennai Super Kings in the final.
Has any captain led three different teams in IPL finals?
Yes. Shreyas Iyer is the only captain to have led three different sides into an IPL final: Delhi Capitals in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 (a title) and Punjab Kings in 2025.