The BCCI has decided to send MS Dhoni as the mentor of the team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Both Fans and experts have accepted this decision with open arms. Although India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev was among them, Kapil still had other ideas. To clarify, Kapil Dev opened up about an interesting perspective. He said a player perhaps should return to the mainstream scheme of things only after three-four years of his retirement.

Also, Read India's T20 World Cup Squad Announced; MS Dhoni selected as a mentor

In Dhoni's case, it has been only a little over a year since the legendary India captain had formally announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on August 15, 2020.

"It is a good decision (appointing Dhoni as the mentor)," said Kapil at an event in Kolkata before adding that perhaps BCCI made a 'special case' for Dhoni to join the team as a mentor barely a year after his retirement.

"I have always thought that once a cricketer retires he should come back to the set-up only after three-four years but this seems like a special case with the World Cup around the corner. Ravi (Shastri) is also down with Covid so it looks like a special case," Kapil added.

The journey of successful Indian captains have been remarkable over the years. The nation has got exceptional leaders who shaped the landscape of Test cricket for India. 

It is now time to look back at those victories brought to us by the Indian team under such efficient captains. Here are the most successful Test captains from India.

1. Virat Kohli (40 wins)

Virat Kohli is considered to be the most successful Test captain India could ever get! He had a stellar career as a captain from 2014 to 2022. Under his captaincy, India became aggressively dominant in home and held a streak of never losing or drawing a single home series.

Kohli secured 40 wins out of 68 tests, which is the highest as an Indian captain. He also holds the record for most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket, with a total of 7 double centuries.

India has had several quality test batters, but there is no other captain who could match King Kohli's legacy.

Virat Kohli's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Virat Kohli became the Test captain on this very day; a look at Kohli's legacy as Test captain

2. MS Dhoni (27 wins)

MS Dhoni served as a Test captain for six years for India, and had a stellar career. He holds the record for most number of sixes by an Indian captain, which is 51 in number.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won 27 tests out of 60, having a win percentage of 45%.

Dhoni's test stats as captain:

3. Sourav Ganguly (21 wins)

Sourav Ganguly, who is widely known for his contributions as a player and captain for the Indian team, is a prominent name in this list of most successful Test captains from India.

Dada was the Indian test captain from 2000-2005 and won 21 tests out of 49 played. He also holds the 2nd position for record most wins as a test captain overseas, winning 11 out of 28 matches.

Sourav Ganguly's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

4. Mohammad Azharuddin (14 wins)

Mohammad Azharuddin is another big name to be mentioned when it comes to Test cricket captaincy for India. He served as a captain for 9 years, winning 14 matches out of 47.

Azharuddin mostly enjoyed dominating in home soil and sealing crucial victories for the team. 

Mohammad Azharuddin's test stats as captain:

5. Rohit Sharma (12 wins)

Rohit Sharma is another name for one of the most successful Test captains from India who led to 10+ victories for the team. He is the 5th captain to do so. He was also one of the most impactful opener for India in tests.

Even though Rohit's captaincy tenure was short-lived, as he decided to retire from test format on 7th May, 2025, he still managed to be on top with 12 wins in 24 matches.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Is Rohit the greatest test opener since Virender Sehwag?

Rohit Sharma'r test stats as captain 

In a competitive league like the IPL, the role of the captain is extremely important. Here we are about to spotlight the skippers who did not just lead from the front, but also tasted victory.

We have some renowned names for the most wins after 76 games as captain in the IPL.

MS Dhoni (46 wins after 76 games)

Focusing on the most wins after 76 games in IPL, MS Dhoni is a clear winner. He captained 2 teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants, in the span of 2008-2025.

Dhoni holds a record of 46 wins after 76 games in IPL which is the highest so far. He also played the most number of matches as a captain (231 matches) and won 134 among them, with a win percentage of 58%.

Also Read: Most ICC Finals as captain

Rohit Sharma (46 wins after 76 games)

Rohit Sharma is another big name that comes to everyone's mind when we track captaincy record in IPL, who also happens to level Dhoni's record of 46 wins after 76 games. He served as a captain for Mumbai Indians from 2013 to 2023.

The five-times IPL winning captain has played a total of 158 matches and won 87 as the skipper, with a win percentage of 56%.

Also Read: Most Wickets in IPL as a Captain

Shreyas Iyer (44 wins in 76 games)

Shreyas Iyer is another successful IPL captain who is doing impressively well in the current years of this tournament. Shreyas has been a part of 3 teams as a captain, namely- Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. 

He led Kolkata Knight Riders to lift the IPL 2024 trophy with his magnificent captaincy throughout the season. He also helped DC reached their first IPL final as a captain in IPL 2019. Shreyas is yet again doing a pretty commendable job as a captain for PBKS in IPL 2025.

Iyer has 44 wins after 76 games under his name as a captain and is set to win more.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the five-time IPL Champions known for their consistency and tactical moves which usually leads them to success, find themselves in an unfamiliar position this season. CSK is at the bottom of the points table with just 2 wins out of their 9 matches, marking their worst IPL season till date. 

The main reasons of CSK’s struggles in IPL 2025 are a combination of poor auction strategy, some important players getting injured, very weak & out of form batting line-up, horrible fielding performances, and being unable to find a proper & effective playing 11 combination despite playing half of their matches in IPL 2025.

Also Read: Impactful Overseas players in IPL 2025

(1) Poor Auction Strategy

From the Auction Table only, CSK’s management started making mistakes by failing to grab impactful players who could fill the gaps in their squad.

Instead of investing in young and in-form players, the management made some confusing choices by buying mediocre players with poor form like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, and Vijay Shankar, especially with a few key players nearing the end of their careers like Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Former CSK great, also known as “Mr. IPL”, Suresh Raina has publicly criticised CSK’s poor auction strategy by pointing out the missed opportunities to buy match-winning players like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Faf Du Plessis, etc., due to a lack of funds. 

While other franchises focused on acquiring young and dynamic talent, CSK appeared to rely heavily on their tried-and-tested players like Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Sam Curran, etc., who are unable to perform in crucial situations for CSK in IPL 2025. 

CSK’s management overlooked many promising domestic and overseas players who have been performing nicely in other T20 leagues, which resulted in a poor out-of-form bunch of players.

Some auction picks like Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed were great buys for CSK in IPL 2025, as these 2 players are performing really well and clinching wickets on a regular basis.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Where's what each team need to do to qualify for the playoffs

(2) Batting Collapses in almost every match

CSK’s batting has been one of the weakest in this season. Their top-order batsmen like Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have failed to perform consistently, and batted with a very low strike-rate in power-play which leads the team one step backwards from the start of the game. 

The middle-order batsmen like Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dubey, and Vijay Shankar have failed to capitalize in the middle overs, and batted with a slow strike rate, and poor shot selection, which made most of their chases or first innings totals look below par. 

Even their reliable lower order batters or finishers like Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Singh Dhoni haven't been able to rescue them as they are also out of form and being overburdened with responsibility. So, the lack of a proper finisher is glaring. 

Also Read: Top 5 game-changing factors that could send MI to IPL 2025 Playoffs

Some young and new batters of CSK like Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, and Dewald Brewis who got a chance to play from the previous 2-3 matches have performed nicely and played exceptionally well and showed potential that they can be the future stars of CSK. 

After the recent loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad, MS Dhoni highlighted the problems because of which CSK is continuously losing matches this season.

His words were, “In a tournament like this, if there are one or two areas to plug in the holes, then it's good, but when a majority of the players are not doing well, then you need to make changes. You can’t just keep going. We are just not putting enough runs on the board”, while addressing the post-match presentation.

Also Read: Glenn Maxwell in IPL Since 2024

(3) Poor Fielding and Catch Drops at Crucial Moment

CSK’s fielding, which was a strength for them earlier, has been horrible this year. CSK has dropped 13-14 catches in IPL 2025 till now which is most by any team this season and after these catch drops of important players at crucial moments, all those players scored a good number of runs and lead their respective teams to a very good total or chased the runs made by CSK. 

In a highly competitive league like the IPL, every run saved with a good fielding effort makes a difference and creates pressure on the opposition, but CSK has failed to do this in this IPL season, which is one of the reasons for CSK’s struggles in IPL 2025. 

MS Dhoni’s wicket-keeping skills is the only thing which deserves appreciation when CSK is fielding. At the age of 43, Dhoni’s wicket-keeping is still lethal with lightning-fast stumping and very smooth ball receiving technique. 

CSK’s bowling has also been very outstanding this season. Bowlers of CSK, like Khaleel Ahmed and Noor Ahmad, have taken crucial wickets continuously. They have been able to create chances with their effective bowling, but the fielders were not able to grab those chances and take advantage of them.

Also Read: IPL Facts: Lowest Total Defended in IPL

(4) Important Players Getting Injured

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Captain of CSK, got injured and was ruled out of this IPL, which made the CSK batting line-up very weak and inexperienced. Devon Conway has to return to New Zealand because his father passed away. 

After Gaikwad’s exclusion from the playing 11 because of an unfortunate injury, MS Dhoni has again become the Captain of CSK and Ayush Mhatre has been signed by the CSK management as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Also Read: IPL 2025, CSK vs KKR: CSK's five lowest totals in IPL history

(5) Where will the CSK team go from here?

After losing 7 out of 9 matches, and with 5 games left, only CSK’s qualifying chances for IPL 2025 Play-offs are practically gone. Even MS Dhoni seems to be looking ahead to next season, as after their recent loss to Mumbai Indians, Dhoni highlighted the importance of getting a secured playing XI for the next year, while addressing the post-match presentation.

As the season progresses, one thing is clear: CSK's struggles in IPL 2025 serve as a reminder that even the most successful teams need to evolve and adapt to the current playing style to stay competitive. 

If CSK wants to bounce back next season, they need figure out what went wrong in 2025 and correct those things as soon as possible. The auction errors, poor on-field execution, poor display of batting & fielding, and over-reliance on aging players have all contributed to a season they’ll want to forget. 

The Chennai Super Kings have built a legacy over the years. But this year, that legacy has taken a hit and only a superb comeback in the next season of IPL can earn them their respect again which CSK deserves, and as we all know that CSK is also known as the Comeback Super Kings so every CSK fan will pray for their team’s strong comeback in the next season of IPL.

Former CSK captain MS Dhoni has entered history books again with a rare achievement as wicketkeeper. He completed 200 dismissals as a keeper in IPL, a feat that places him on top of the list of most dismissals in IPL history . He reached this historic number during CSK’s match against LSG in IPL 2025. Dhoni’s 200th dismissal came when he stumped Ayush Badoni, showing once again why he’s still one of the best, even at the age of 43. 

Also Read: Most Fifties in T20 Cricket

Let's take a look at the wicketkeepers with most dismissals in IPL history.

Most Dismissals in IPL

5. Wriddhiman Saha | 118

Wriddhiman Saha is known for his clean glovework and quick reflexes. While he may not be as loud or flashy as some other players, his wicketkeeping skills are among the finest in IPL history. He holds the fifth position in this list. Wriddhiman owns 118 dismissals in IPL. He affected 113 dismissals with the wicket-keeping gloves.

4. Robin Uthappa | 124

Robin Uthappa was a utility player who often switched between being a specialist batsman and wicketkeeper. His flexibility across multiple roles has been one of his major strengths. He ranks fourth in the list of most dismissals in IPL history. Uthappa owns 124 dismissals in IPL. He affected 90 dismissals with the wicket-keeping gloves.

3. AB de Villiers | 126

AB de Villiers has the most fielding dismissals by an overseas player in the IPL. He trails Karthik with 126 dismissals. As a wicket-keeper, de Villiers registered 36 dismissals, a tally that has 28 catches and eight stumpings.

De Villiers, who was once the heartbeat of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, racked up 5,162 runs at a strike-rate of over 150 in the IPL.

2. Dinesh Karthik | 182

Dinesh Karthik, who represented a host of franchises in the IPL, follows Dhoni on this elite list. He owns 182 such dismissals.

In an IPL career that spanned 16 years, Karthik affected 174 dismissals with the wicket-keeping gloves. His tally includes 137 catches and 37 stumpings. In 2024, Karthik retired with 4,842 runs in the cash-rich league.

Also Read: Most Wickets in 1st Over of IPL

1. MS Dhoni | 200

In his 271st IPL appearance, Dhoni breached the 200-dismissal mark by successfully completing his counterpart Rishabh Pant’s catch in the final over as LSG packed their innings on 166/7. The seasoned wicketkeeper batter boasts 201 dismissals, consisting of 155 catches and 46 stumpings.

Dhoni is now the only player to have registered 200 fielding dismissals in the IPL. His path to this incredible milestone features 197 dismissals as a wicket-keeper. He owns 151 catches and 46 stumpings with the gloves.

In a tournament like the IPL, the role of the captain is of utmost importance given that the game can change very quickly. However, it is not an easy job to lead a side in such a big tournament. The franchises also do not give a longer run to a player if he fails to perform as a captain. 

There have been few cricketers who have enjoyed a long run in captaincy in IPL because of their consistent performance and mind blowing winning percentage. 

In this article, we will be discussing the most wins in IPL as captain.

Most wins in IPL as captain 

6. David Warner | 40

Australian player David Warner has captained Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 83 games, winning 40 and losing 41, two of which were tied. 

He is also the third Aussie to win the IPL title as captain.

5. Shreyas Iyer | 40 Wins

Shreyas Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season, he has joined the IPL winning captains along with greats MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Iyer has been the captain in 72 games for three different franchise (DC, KKR, and PBKS), in which he has won 40 games and lost 29.

4. Virat Kohli | 66 Wins

Virat Kohli is the most successful Test captain for India and also led Royal Challengers Bangalore for several seasons in the IPL. Overall, Virat Kohli captained for a total of 143 matches and won 66 and lost 70 of these matches with a win percentage of 46.15. 

Later, Faf du Plessis took over from him as skipper. Now Rajat Patidar is leading the team in 18th season. 

3. Gautam Gambhir | 71 Wins

Gautam Gambhir has proved his leadership skills in the IPL and international cricket alike. In total, Gautam Gambhir won 71 matches out of the 129 he captained. 

The left-handed batter was Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper in their successful campaigns in 2012 and 2014, making him the third-most successful IPL captain. He also led the team for the Delhi Capitals in multiple seasons. His winning percentage in IPL as captain is 55.03.

2. Rohit Sharma | 87 Wins

One of the most successful leaders of IPL, Rohit Sharma has captained Mumbai Indians in 158 games, in which he won 87 of them and lost 67. Under Rohit's captaincy, MI has won 5 IPL titles ( 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020).

Rohit's win percentage in IPL as captain is 55.06.

1. MS Dhoni | 133 Wins

India's legendary leader Mahendra Singh Dhoni has captained two franchise (CSK and RPS) in his career. In 226 games as a leader, Dhoni has won 133 and lost 91 times. He also led CSK to five IPL titles in the years 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Dhoni's win percentage of 58.84 is the highest among captains to have led in more than 50 matches. He also holds the record for playing the most number of IPL matches as a captain.