Cursed Captaincies — Every IPL Franchise's Win Rate by Captain Since 2008
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Quick answer: The highest IPL captain win rates belong to Rohit Sharma (MI, 60%) and MS Dhoni (CSK, 59%). The lowest sustained win rates belong to a cluster of short-tenure captains at PBKS and RCB. Some franchises have seen 8+ captains in 17 years; CSK has had effectively 2.
The 17-season ledger — every franchise, every captain
Rather than an exhaustive table, here are the top and bottom 3 captaincy tenures by win rate for each franchise, with minimum 10 matches captained.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 2008–2015, 2018–2024 | 59% | 5 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 2024–current | 55% | 0 |
| Suresh Raina (caretaker) | 2013 (partial) | 50% | 0 |
CSK only has 3 captains in 17 years. The Dhoni-Raina-Gaikwad triangle is the most stable captaincy structure in IPL history.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 2013–2023 | 60% | 5 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2024–current | 52% | 0 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2008–2012 | 45% | 0 |
Rohit's win rate is the highest in MI history and among the highest in IPL history (over a meaningful sample).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 2013–2021 | 47% | 0 |
| Faf du Plessis | 2022–2024 | 48% | 0 |
| Rajat Patidar | 2025–current | 54% | 0 |
RCB's 0 titles across 17 seasons is the league's longest drought among active franchises. Their highest-winning captain so far (Patidar) has the smallest sample.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gautam Gambhir | 2011–2017 | 57% | 2 (2012, 2014) |
| Shreyas Iyer | 2023–2024 | 63% | 1 (2024) |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2025–current | 58% | 0 |
Shreyas Iyer's KKR win rate (63%) is the highest sustained rate by any IPL captain — though his sample is smaller than Rohit or Dhoni.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Warne | 2008 | 68% (10 games) | 1 (2008) |
| Sanju Samson | 2021–2025 | 48% | 0 |
| Rahul Dravid | 2013 (partial) | 52% | 0 |
Warne's 2008 sample is small but perfect — he captained RR to the inaugural title.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 2016–2018, 2020 | 55% | 1 (2016) |
| Pat Cummins | 2024–current | 58% | 0 |
| Kane Williamson | 2019–2021 | 46% | 0 |
Punjab Kings (PBKS — formerly Kings XI Punjab)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Gilchrist | 2011–2013 | 42% | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 2020–2021 | 48% | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 2018–2019 | 41% | 0 |
PBKS is the most captaincy-churn franchise — 8 different captains across 17 seasons, none winning a title.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 2021–2024 | 52% | 0 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 2018–2020 | 56% | 0 (1 final) |
| Axar Patel | 2025–current | 54% | 0 |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | 2022–2024 | 52% | 0 |
| Rishabh Pant | 2025–current | 50% | 0 |
Gujarat Titans (GT)
| Captain | Seasons | Win % | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 2022–2023 | 65% | 1 (2022) |
| Shubman Gill | 2024–current | 55% | 0 |
Hardik's 65% at GT is the highest debut-captain win rate in IPL history.
Patterns across 17 years
Pattern 1: Stability compounds. CSK (3 captains, 5 titles) and MI (3 captains, 5 titles) lead the ledger. PBKS (8+ captains, 0 titles) sits at the bottom.
Pattern 2: The "second full season" jump. Almost every IPL-winning captain had a breakthrough in their second full season in charge — Rohit 2014 (2nd full season, won), Dhoni 2010 (2nd season, won), Shreyas 2024 (2nd full KKR season, won).
Pattern 3: Auction-fit captains win more. Captains whose auction strategy fit their personnel consistently outperformed. Patel-era DC, Warner-era SRH both illustrate this.
Pattern 4: The "celebrity captain" trap. Tendulkar (MI), Gilchrist (PBKS), Sehwag (DC) — legends as captains underperformed their stature. The most successful captains are cricketers known first as captains, not as stars.
The IPL 2026 captain slate
| Team | 2026 Captain | Career win % (previous) |
|---|---|---|
| CSK | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 55% |
| MI | Hardik Pandya | 65% (at GT) |
| RCB | Rajat Patidar | 54% (short sample) |
| KKR | Ajinkya Rahane | 58% (short sample) |
| RR | Sanju Samson (at CSK 2026) / Riyan Parag (RR) | — |
| SRH | Pat Cummins | 58% |
| PBKS | Shreyas Iyer | 63% (at KKR) |
| DC | Axar Patel | 54% (short sample) |
| LSG | Rishabh Pant | 50% |
| GT | Shubman Gill | 55% |
Related reads
FAQ
Who has the best IPL captaincy win rate? MS Dhoni (CSK) and Rohit Sharma (MI) sit at 59–60% over large samples (130+ matches each). Shreyas Iyer (KKR) has 63% over a smaller sample.
Which captain has won most IPL titles? MS Dhoni (CSK) and Rohit Sharma (MI) are tied at 5 titles each.
Which team has had the most IPL captains? Punjab Kings (PBKS/KXIP) with 8+ different captains across 17 seasons, and 0 titles.
Last fact-checked: 18 April 2026.
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Harsha K
Expert in: Ipl 2026Cricket analyst and content writer at CricJosh, covering Ipl 2026 with 17 articles published.
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