Most Successful IPL Captains: Titles, Wins and Every Final
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are the most successful captains in IPL history, with five titles each: Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings and Rohit with Mumbai Indians. Behind them, Rajat Patidar has already won two, leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the title in both of his first two seasons as captain, 2025 and 2026. This page lists every title-winning captain, the captains with the most matches and wins, and every final since 2008.
Captains With the Most IPL Titles
| Captain | Titles | Team | 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 |
Rohit Sharma won all five finals he captained. Dhoni won five of the ten he captained, a record number of finals.
Most Matches and Wins as Captain
| Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 235 | 136 | 97 | 58.4% |
| Rohit Sharma | 158 | 87 | 67 | 56.3% |
| Virat Kohli | 143 | 66 | 70 | 48.6% |
| Gautam Gambhir | 129 | 71 | 57 | 55.4% |
| Shreyas Iyer | 101 | 55 | 41 | 57.1% |
From ESPNcricinfo's IPL captaincy records, through the 2026 final. The win rate counts a tie as half a win and leaves out matches with no result. Dhoni's span runs from 2008 to 2025, when he took the Chennai captaincy back after Ruturaj Gaikwad was injured. Patidar has won 20 of his 28 matches in charge.
Rajat Patidar's Two Titles
Patidar is the first captain to win the IPL in each of his first two seasons in charge, and only the third to win back-to-back titles, after Dhoni in 2010 and 2011 and Rohit in 2019 and 2020. Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the 2025 final, then Gujarat Titans by five wickets in 2026, when Patidar won the toss, chose to bowl and saw Virat Kohli make 75 not out, according to the IPL's report of the final. Kohli had captained the side in 143 matches without a title, losing the 2016 final to David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Overseas Captains
Three overseas captains have won the IPL, all Australian and none since 2016: Shane Warne with Rajasthan Royals in the first season, Adam Gilchrist with Deccan Chargers in 2009, and David Warner with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. Six more have lost a final: Daniel Vettori, George Bailey, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins.
Every IPL Final and Its Captains
| Season | Winning captain | Losing captain | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Won by 3 wickets |
| 2009 | Adam Gilchrist, Deccan Chargers | Anil Kumble, Royal Challengers Bangalore | Won by 6 runs |
| 2010 | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians | Won by 22 runs |
| 2011 | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers Bangalore | Won by 58 runs |
| 2012 | Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Won by 5 wickets |
| 2013 | Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Won by 23 runs |
| 2014 | Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders | George Bailey, Kings XI Punjab | Won by 3 wickets |
| 2015 | Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Won by 41 runs |
| 2016 | David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad | Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore | Won by 8 runs |
| 2017 | Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians | Steve Smith, Rising Pune Supergiant | Won by 1 run |
| 2018 | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Kane Williamson, Sunrisers Hyderabad | Won by 8 wickets |
| 2019 | Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Won by 1 run |
| 2020 | Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians | Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals | Won by 5 wickets |
| 2021 | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Eoin Morgan, Kolkata Knight Riders | Won by 27 runs |
| 2022 | Hardik Pandya, Gujarat Titans | Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals | Won by 7 wickets |
| 2023 | MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings | Hardik Pandya, Gujarat Titans | Won by 5 wickets |
| 2024 | Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders | Pat Cummins, Sunrisers Hyderabad | Won by 8 wickets |
| 2025 | Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings | Won by 6 runs |
| 2026 | Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans | Won by 5 wickets |
Shreyas Iyer is the only captain to have led three different teams in a final: Delhi Capitals in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and Punjab Kings in 2025. Our guide to the IPL teams lists every current captain.
FAQs: IPL Captains
Who is the most successful IPL captain?
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, with five titles each. Dhoni has also captained the most matches, 235, and won the most, 136.
Which captain has won the most IPL finals?
Dhoni and Rohit have each won five. Rohit won every final he captained in.
Who captained RCB to the IPL title?
Rajat Patidar, in 2025 and 2026.
Has a foreign captain won the IPL?
Three: Shane Warne in 2008, Adam Gilchrist in 2009 and David Warner in 2016, all Australian.
Who has captained the most IPL matches?
MS Dhoni, with 235.
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