IPL: Rating Top 10 Captains In The History Of The Tournament

Captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are often one of the essential components in a team. In a competitive tournament like IPL, captains’ performances, moves, and tactics under high-voltage situations, according to several permutations, plays an integral role in shaping up a game or even an entire tournament. Without it, even the most balanced side could plummet to a loss from a winning position.

As such, there exist multiple players who have captained various franchises in the history of IPL. The IPL has become a platform not only for the young players to express themselves freely but also has given the world cricket and a few teams cricketers who have leadership skills in them. With the help of the cash-rich league, a handful of cricketers have ascended to the role of captaincy for their international sides.

We take a look at the rating provided to the top ten captains in the history of IPL:

10. Virat Kohli – 5/10:

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has been part of the franchise since 2008 and took charge as skipper in 2013. But while Virat Kohli has tasted success as a batsman, the 32-year old has not enjoyed it as captain. Under the right-handed batsman, Royal Challengers Bangalore has reached the final only once thus far.

Virat Kohli, who is the highest run-getter in IPL history, has led the franchise to only 62 victories in 132 matches, enduring 66 defeats. The Delhi-born cricketer has 6076 runs in 199 games at 37.98 with five centuries. Nevertheless, the 32-year old has an excellent chance this year to win his first title.

9. Sachin Tendulkar – 6/10:

Sachin Tendulkar did decently as Mumbai Indians’ captain; however, despite the presence of a talented group, he could not deliver a crown for the franchise. Mumbai Indians was one of the poorest performing franchises in IPL for the first two years, finishing in the lower half of the points table.

It was for the first time in 2010 that they reached the final, but missed out on the title to the Chennai Super Kings. Tendulkar captained the side till 2012 and played in the cash-rich league a year more. Nevertheless, the 48-year old led the Mumbai Indians to 30 victories in 51 matches, enduring only 21 defeats.

8. Anil Kumble – 6/10:

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Anil Kumble was the third captain selected by the franchise in two years after Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen proved unsuccessful in their stints. Anil Kumble took over from Pietersen, who left the tournament midway IPL 2009 and did a commendable job. He also retired as the skipper of the franchise after 2010.

The prolific Indian leg-spinner lifted the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the finals in 2009 after the franchise finished seventh in the first edition. But despite his brilliant bowling in the 2009 IPL final against the Deccan Chargers, Bangalore ended up six runs short. Kumble notched up 15 wins in 26 matches as captain.

7. Steve Smith – 6.5/10:

Steve Smith has been a decent player in all T20 cricket and has produced some notable knocks; however, he is yet to reach his full potential in the format. In his IPL career of 101 games, Steve Smith has captained the Rajasthan Royals, Pune Warriors, and the Rising Pune Supergiants. But the 32-year old’s most significant contribution as captain in IPL has been for the Rising Pune Supergiants.

Steve Smith took over from MS Dhoni in 2017 as the skipper of the Rising Pune Supergiants. The right-handed batsman came within inches short of leading the franchise to the title; however, they lost to the Mumbai Indians in the final by a run. Smith, who has 25 wins and 16 losses in 42 games as captain, was also the highest run-getter for Pune that year. The former Australian captain has been a tad fortunate that he has not got a long run as a leader like plenty of Indian players.

6. Adam Gilchrist – 7/10:

Adam Gilchrist has plied his trade for Kings XI Punjab and the Deccan Chargers in his six-year IPL career. Adam Gilchrist showcased his captaincy with the Deccan Chargers and sparked a remarkable turnaround after they finished at the bottom in 2008. The keeper-batsman captained the franchise brilliantly to lead them to the summit in 2009 in South Africa.

The Western Australian also ended up as the player of the tournament, amassing 495 runs in 16 matches at 30.94, alongside 18 dismissals. But the 49-year old, who joined the Kings XI Punjab in 2011, could not turn their fortunes around. Gilchrist achieved 35 wins in 74 matches as skipper and 39 losses and scored 2069 runs with two centuries.

5. Shane Warne – 7.5/10:

Former Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne was one of the best captains in IPL and marshalled a troop of young men to glory in the inaugural edition. Shane Warne was not only the captain of the Rajasthan Royals in 2008 but also their coach. The Victorian was an extremely proactive and inspirational leader, motivating the youngsters to achieve an unlikely win.

The prolific wrist-spinner took 19 wickets in 15 matches that year at 21.26, maintaining an economy rate of 7.77. But the 145-Test veteran could not do anything beyond the inaugural season of the IPL for the Royals as the 2008 champions could not even make the playoffs since that. He retired from IPL cricket after 2011 and has accumulated 31 wins in 55 fixtures.

4. David Warner – 8/10:

Former SunRisers Hyderabad captain David Warner undoubtedly comes on the list of amongst the best leaders in IPL. David Warner was first appointed captain of the SunRisers Hyderabad in 2015 and a year later, the Orange Army was at the summit. While the SunRisers were already a promising team, never before they went the distance.

David Warner has also carried the SunRisers’ batting hopes for many years now and is the first overseas batsman to cross 5000 runs in IPL. In 2016, when the SunRisers lifted the title, the southpaw mustered a mammoth 848 runs in the tournament. In 69 games, Warner has tasted 35 victories and 33 losses; however, he was unceremoniously removed as the skipper this year.

3. Gautam Gambhir – 8.5/10:

Under Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders tasted their maximum success as the southpaw turned their fortunes around instantly. Gautam Gambhir, a shrewd and aggressive leader, took charge of the team in 2011, when the Knight Riders reached the playoffs for the first time. The next three years proved the most prolific for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they clinched two titles.

In 2012, Kolkata beat the two-time champions Chennai Super Kings to race to their first title and two years title; they gunned down Kings XI Punjab by chasing 200 in the final successfully. While the franchise did not taste the unprecedented success of 2012 and 2014, they still remained a competitive side, unlike now. Gambhir tasted 70 wins in 128 matches as captain.

2. MS Dhoni – 9/10:

MS Dhoni has a remarkable captaincy record in IPL, winning three titles with the Chennai Super Kings and guiding the franchise to the playoffs in every edition except the last year in the UAE. Not only is MS Dhoni a shrewd tactician, but also the keeper-batsman has won matches through his exploits with the bat.

The 39-year old has captained in a jaw-dropping 195 games, winning 115 and losing 79 in the process. The veteran also led the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016; however, the team managed only five victories under him that year. The Ranchi-born cricketer is one of the most-capped players in the IPL.

1. Rohit Sharma – 9.5/10:

Rohit Sharma is by far the most successful captain in the history of IPL. It has come on the back of leading Mumbai Indians to four titles, the first of which came in 2013 when Ricky Ponting stepped aside midway to make way for Rohit Sharma. The move proved to be a masterstroke not only for the franchise but also for Rohit.

The 34-year old might have had modest returns as a batsman; however, there is no doubting his captaincy skills. The bowlers have credited India???s limited-overs vice-captain for encouraging in backing their skills and keeping a cool head during pressure situations. With IPL 2021 set to move to the UAE, the defending champions have a good enough side to lift their sixth title this year. In 123 fixtures as captain, he has enjoyed 74 victories and endured 48 losses.

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