There have been plenty of captains who led different franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but very few of them have achieved success. Some of the big names like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir are known for their leadership skills. Here, we will look at the most successful IPL captains of all time based on win percentage and titles won.
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have won 5 IPL titles each. CSK and MI are the two most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League, and they have once ruled the tournament, but in the last two or three years, they have been struggling a bit.
MS Dhoni (5 Titles, ~58% Win Rate)
If we are talking about captaincy, whether it is IPL or International cricket, MS Dhoni is always at the top. Dhoni has been leading the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inaugural season in 2008; he has been the backbone of the franchise. CSK have won five IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023).
Chennai has reached the playoffs in almost every season they have played, except for one or two seasons, like IPL 2025. Dhoni played 235 matches as Captain and won 136 games with a winning percentage of 57.87%.
| Matches as Captain | 235 |
| Wins | 136 |
| Win Percentage | 57.87% |
| Titles Won | 5 |
Rohit Sharma (5 Titles, ~55.06% Win Rate)
Rohit Sharma has been a game-changing captain for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League. He took over the captaincy in 2013, and since then, MI has won five IPL trophies (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), but now, he isn’t the captain of the team.
Rohit Sharma has played 158 games as a leader in IPL and won 87 games with a winning percentage of 55.06%. He is the first captain to win five IPL titles and impressed everyone with his decisions in pressure situations.
| Matches as Captain | 158 |
| Wins | 87 |
| Win Percentage | 55.06% |
| Titles Won | 5 |
Gautam Gambhir (2 Titles, ~55.03% Win Rate)
Guatam Gambhir took charge of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2011, and before Gambhir’s arrival, KKR was struggling in the tournament, but his aggressive approach led them to win two titles (2012, 2014).
Gambhir has played 129 matches as a captain in the Indian Premier League and won 71 games with a winning percentage of 55.03%.
| Matches as Captain | 129 |
| Wins | 71 |
| Win Percentage | 55.03% |
| Titles Won | 2 |
Read More: Top 5 Overseas Players Who could Shine in IPL 2026?