MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma? Best-ever IPL captain picked after 5 trophies each

Former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar recently participated in a challenge to find a better captain than veteran Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma in IPL history.

The former Indian cricketer picked Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni in the popular challenge amid the IPL 2025 season.

The Indian Premier League has been one of the most anticipated annual cricket events. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are the only two captains in IPL history to have claimed five titles each.

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Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to five championships, while Rohit Sharma achieved the same feat with Mumbai Indians.

Watch: Sanjay Bangar Chooses MS Dhoni Over Rohit Sharma as IPL Captain

In a video shared by ESPNCricinfo on X (formerly known as Twitter), Sanjay Bangar was given choices based on who he felt was the better player than Rohit Sharma in the IPL.

The game started with Hardik Pandya and then continued with players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, David Warner, and Sanju Samson.

The former coach also overlooked Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kane Williamson, and Gautam Gambhir.

Bangar finally gave up on Rohit when MS Dhoni's name came up. He concluded that Dhoni is a better captain than the Mumbai Indians batter in the history of the tournament.

Here is the video of Sanjay Bangar's responses in the challenge:

Has there been a better captain in IPL history? 🧢 pic.twitter.com/ODZOggswra

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 7, 2025

MS Dhoni vs Rohit Sharma Captaincy Comparison in IPL History

MS Dhoni and Rohit faced off as captains multiple times between 2013 and 2023. Rohit holds a narrow 12-10 advantage in 22 encounters, including MI vs CSK and MI vs RPS.

Sharma has the edge over Dhoni in the crucial playoff and final games. The MI batter boasts an impressive 11-4 record in 15 IPL playoff matches.

In contrast, Dhoni has a solid playoff record of 17-9 in 26 outings, with a winning percentage of 65.38%.

Sharma also holds a perfect 3-0 record against Dhoni in IPL finals (2013, 2015, and 2019).

The 37-year-old has never lost as a captain in an IPL final, maintaining a flawless 5-0 record in those high-stakes matches.

Rohit Sharma Has Won Six IPL Titles, the Most in League History

It is worth mentioning that the veteran batter began his IPL career in 2008 with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, where he played for three years, including a title-winning season in 2009. He later moved to the Mumbai Indians, where he became a key figure.

Sharma is part of six IPL-winning teams, tied for the most in the league's history alongside Ambati Rayudu. With 6928 runs from 263 innings, he is the second-highest run scorer in IPL history.

Ahead of IPL 2024, Rohit was replaced as captain by Hardik Pandya. Mumbai Indians have won 7 out of their 12 matches in IPL 2025.

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