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Former India and CSK batter Ambati Rayudu recently ranked the top 5 greatest captains in IPL history. In his ranking, Rayudu made some shocking choices, picking recent captains over established names.
Rayudu himself has enjoyed a long IPL career spanning 15 seasons between 2009 and 2023. He played for just two franchises during this time and won a record 6 IPL trophies as a player.
Top 5 Greatest IPL captains ever, as named by Ambati Rayudu
Rayudu was speaking to ESPNCricinfo when asked to provide his ranking. Incidentally, all five players named by him have won the IPL trophy as captain at least once.
5. Rajat Patidar
Rayudu named the current RCB captain Rajat Patidar at number 5. Last year, Patidar led RCB to their first-ever IPL trophy in his very first season as captain.
This year, he has already led the team to first place on the points table. “He has captained an RCB side that was trophy-less. He has gotten a different culture going in the side, which is far more positive and selfless,” Rayudu said.
4. Shreyas Iyer
The Punjab Kings’ incumbent skipper, Shreyas Iyer, was Rayudu’s Number 4. Iyer’s first stint with the captaincy came in IPL 2019 when he led the Delhi Capitals to the playoffs after a 7-year gap.
The next year, he led that side to a runner-up finish. After leading KKR to the IPL title in 2024, he joined PBKS in 2025 and led that side to the top four after an 11-year gap. Iyer is the only captain to take three different teams to the IPL final, even though he finished on the losing side in two of them.
“He’s been a title winner with KKR, but he’s also been a finalist with DC and Punjab. He’s always brought about a lot of calmness in his captaincy. He looks like a great man manager,” Rayudu said.
3. Gautam Gambhir
Although the current Indian National Team Head Coach started his IPL captaincy career with the Delhi Capitals (or the Delhi Daredevils as they were known back then), he is most associated with KKR.
Gambhir served as KKR’s captain between 2011 and 2017, and led the team to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. “He’s been a two-time winner, and his aggressive captaincy stood out during his KKR days. We could feel his authority on the ground when playing against them, and he’s a fantastic captain,” Rayudu said.
2. Rohit Sharma
Sharma first took over the captaincy from Australia legend Ricky Ponting in the middle of the 2013 IPL season. He carried out this expectation amazingly and led the Mumbai Indians to their first-ever IPL title that year.
Over the next 7 seasons, Rohit Sharma, the captain, and MI added 4 more trophies to their cabinet. Rayudu himself was a part of three of these five IPL titles.
“He’s a serial winner with the Mumbai Indians, and he has grown into a legend of the game. He’s also a legendary captain in Indian cricket. And in the IPL, he was very successful not just because of the great teams he had, but also because of how he managed the stars in those teams,” Rayudu said.
1. MS Dhoni
Just like Rohit, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a five-time IPL-winning captain. Dhoni was the captain of all five trophies won by the Chennai Super Kings and had Rayudu in the team for three of them.
“He has maintained the consistency throughout his IPL career. He brings a different kind of leadership into the dressing room and the field. And many of the captains I have mentioned before have learnt from him,” Rayudu concluded.
Ambati Rayudu names his top five all-time IPL captains – any surprises? 👀 pic.twitter.com/mjD7L2rVYj
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 26, 2026
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