Most Matches as Captain
IPL started in 2008 as a mega league based on a franchise system. The first season saw eight founding members as city-based teams. Seven of the teams still participate in the IPL whereas the Deccan Chargers team was defunct. New management bought the Hyderabad franchise and rebranded it as Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Out of the eight teams, some have received considerable success whereas a few have failed to find any substantial progress. Out of all the sports played in the World, cricket is one of the few which has the maximum importance of captain. Overall 48 players have captained one or more games in 12 seasons of IPL. Some captains in IPL have left a long-lasting effect.
List of Most Matches as Captain
Let us take a look at the list of Most matches as IPL captain:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni:
The World Cup-winning Indian captain is the longest-serving captain in IPL. Out of the eight captains that started the era of IPL, only Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still serving as the captain. He led the Chennai Supers Kings from 2008 to 2015. When the yellow army was banned for some irregularities in 2015, he captained the Rising Pune Supergiants team for 2016 and 2017. He again captained the side for 2018 and 2019 season. He has skippered a side in IPL for 174 times. He has lifted the IPL trophy three times and is ranked at number one in the list of captains with most matches in IPL.
Read More: Most Wins as Captain in IPL
Gautam Gambhir:
The Delhi born batsman has had different stints in the leadership role. He managed the Delhi Daredevils team in the 2009 and 2010 season. Gambhir was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a record sum in the mega auction after the conclusion of the third season. This is where Gambhir truly displayed his leadership skills and led the Kolkata side to two titles in a period of six years before finally ending his IPL career at Delhi Capitals. With 129 games as a captain, he is ranked second in the list of captains with most matches in IPL.
Read More: Captain with Highest Winning Percentage in IPL
The Indian captain has found difficulty in leading his IPL side to the same amount of success. However, he is still ranked third in the list of captains with most matches in IPL. He captained RCB first time in 2011 after a successful World Cup with team India. In eight years since then, he has led the team in 110 games.
Read More: IPL 2020 captain list
Rohit Sharma:
Rohit Sharma is arguably the best leader in IPL, and he has a trophy cabinet containing four IPL trophies. The explosive opener moved to Mumbai Indians in 2010 after three successful years with Deccan Chargers. He was handed the reins of Mumbai team after Sachin announced his retirement. Rohit has captained the Mumbai side for 104 times and is on the fourth number on the list of captains with most matches in IPL.
Read More: Successful Players in IPL
Adam Gilchrist:
Gilchrist is the only foreign player in the list of captains with most matches in IPL. Gilchrist led the Deccan Chargers team to a victory in 2009 season before moving to Kings XI Punjab in 2011 season. Gilchrist led his side in 74 games.
Read More: Most successful team in IPL
