Cricket

List of Captains for Each IPL Team in Every Season

Complete historical list of captains for every IPL franchise season by season, including stand-in captains and major leadership changes.

12 itemsUpdated Mar 25, 2026

Captaincy changes are a big part of IPL strategy. MS Dhoni’s long tenure with CSK and Rohit Sharma’s successful era with MI are legendary. Leadership transitions often coincide with squad rebuilds, auctions, or performance slumps. This list covers all major franchises with primary captains and notable stand-ins.

#	Name	Note	Titles	Main captain
1	Chennai Super Kings MS Dhoni (2008-2023, 2025 partial) Longest-serving and most successful captain in IPL. Led CSK to 5 titles. Stand-ins: Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja (2022), Ruturaj Gaikwad (2024-2025).	Most matches as captain in IPL	5	MS Dhoni
2	Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma (2013-2023) Led MI to 5 titles. Earlier captains: Sachin Tendulkar (2008-2011), Harbhajan Singh (stand-in), Ricky Ponting (2013). Later: Hardik Pandya (2024 onwards), Suryakumar Yadav (stand-in).	—	5	Rohit Sharma
3	Kolkata Knight Riders Shreyas Iyer (2022 onwards) Led to 2024 title. Earlier: Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir (2 titles), Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan.	—	1	Shreyas Iyer
4	Royal Challengers Bengaluru Virat Kohli (2011-2023), Rajat Patidar (2025) Kohli led for over a decade. Faf du Plessis and others also captained in later years. Won first title in 2025 under Patidar.	—	1	Virat Kohli
5	Delhi Capitals (formerly Daredevils) Rishabh Pant (multiple seasons) Pant has been long-term captain. Earlier: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Shreyas Iyer.	—	—	Rishabh Pant
6	Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) Frequent changes - KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer Multiple captaincy changes over the years. Earlier captains included Adam Gilchrist and David Miller.	High number of captaincy changes	—	—
7	Rajasthan Royals Sanju Samson (recent) Shane Warne (2008 title), Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson.	—	—	Sanju Samson
8	Sunrisers Hyderabad Pat Cummins (recent), David Warner, Kane Williamson David Warner led to 2016 title. Multiple changes including stand-ins.	—	—	Pat Cummins
9	Gujarat Titans Hardik Pandya (2022-2023), Shubman Gill (2024 onwards) Hardik Pandya led to title in debut season (2022).	—	—	Shubman Gill
10	Lucknow Super Giants KL Rahul (2022-2023), Rishabh Pant (recent) KL Rahul was the inaugural captain.	—	—	KL Rahul / Rishabh Pant
11	Temporary Franchises Rising Pune Supergiant & Gujarat Lions (2016-17) Short-term captains including Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane.	Short existence	—	—
12	Overall IPL Captaincy Trend 72 different captains till 2025 MS Dhoni has captained the most matches. Frequent changes seen in teams like PBKS and DC.	Leadership stability often leads to success	—	—

This list is compiled from verified public records and reference sources. Last verified: March 25, 2026.

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