A captain is always the best player on the team, which is why he gets the responsibility to lead the team in any sport. However, leading a country and leading a franchise are both different. Because in a franchise league, you get players from different parts of the world, and you have to lead them together and make them do well as a team. Just like in the Indian Premier League.
Even successful international captains like Eoin Morgan, Ricky Ponting, and even Virat Kohli couldn’t lead their teams to success. However, one thing is sure: with a good captain, you will always get good performances, and a good leader always leads from the front. This article is also related to such a stat. Here we will talk about the IPL captains, who have won the most Man of the Match awards so far.
Top Five Captains with Most MOTM awards in the IPL
5. KL Rahul – 8 MOTM Awards
KL Rahul is one of the most prolific run scorers in the IPL since his debut. His performances are always at the top, and you will find his name among the top scorers in an IPL season. He made his captaincy debut in 2020 for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and in 2022, he became the captain of Gujarat Titans. As a captain, Rahul has played 52 games and scored 2244 runs with 3 centuries and 18 half-centuries. He has won 8 MOTM awards as IPL captain, which is the joint-fourth-most.
4. Virat Kohli – 11 MOTM Awards
Virat Kohli has scored the most runs as a captain in IPL history. He made his captaincy debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011 and stepped down from captaincy in 2022. But he also led RCB in a few games in 2023. Overall, Virat has captained this side in 143 games and won 66 of them. With the bat, he has scored 4994 runs at 41.96 with a strike rate of 133.31, including 5 centuries and 37 half-centuries. He has won 11 MOTM awards as RCB captain.
3. Gautam Gambhir – 13 MOTM Awards
The former captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, who led the Men in Gold and Purple to two titles in 2012 and 2014, respectively, is third on the list. Before leading KKR, Gambhir made his IPL captaincy debut with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the 2009 edition. He joined KKR in 2011 and was named captain of the team. Gambhir has played 129 games as captain and won 71 of them. He has 3518 runs as captain at 31.13 with 31 half-centuries. He has won 13 MOTM awards as captain in the IPL.
2. Rohit Sharma – 13 MOTM Awards
Rohit Sharma is only one of two captains who have led their franchises to five titles in the Indian Premier League. Rohit joined Mumbai Indians in the 2011 edition. Until 2012, MI didn’t win anything. In 2013, he became the captain of the side, and they won their maiden title. Rohit was replaced in 2024. He played 158 matches as MI captain and won 87 of those. Rohit also scored 3986 runs at a strike rate of 129.37 with 25 half-centuries. He also won a total of 13 MOTM awards as MI captain.
1 MS Dhoni – 16 MOTM Awards
When someone speaks about the best IPL captain, there is no one that can match the legacy MS Dhoni had. The CSK captain has been leading the franchise since 2008 to 2023. He also led Rising Pune Supergiants in a few games. However, his success with CSK is incredible, and he took them to ten finals in 14 seasons. As a captain, MSD won 133 matches out of 226. He also scored 4660 runs at an average of 39.82 and a strike rate of 137.46 with 22 half-centuries. Dhoni won 16 MOTM awards as captain in his IPL career.