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The 16 glorious years of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have undergone several trials and tribulations, numerous changes from players to franchises to franchise jerseys and names, among others. Yet, the one constant has been at least one of the three most accomplished Indian stalwarts of this generation - MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli - always being at the helm of their franchises.
But as the famous line 'all good things must come to an end' goes, IPL 2024 will witness all three legends not don the captaincy hat for the first time since the league's inception.
While it has been two years since Kohli relinquished the RCB captaincy, Rohit and Dhoni have finally made way for the heir apparent to take over and carry their inimitable legacy forward from this season.
The trio produced innumerable memorable moments as skippers, with fans often connecting to their respective franchises through their every move. As Faf du Plessis, Hardik Pandya, and Ruturaj Gaikwad get set to lead RCB, MI, and CSK, respectively, in IPL 2024, fans deserve a rundown of their legendary predecessors.
On that note, let us look back at the IPL captaincy careers of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma to see how they stack up against each other.
MS Dhoni - A model for consistency and longevity
GOAT debates have become the most popular sporting topic over the past few years, and it is no different among IPL captains. The parameters used to determine the best in any field vary between consistency, higher peak, longevity, numbers, and other intangibles.
In the IPL, the debate is usually between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma for the best captain. If you value consistency and longevity in a package as the ultimate quality, then Dhoni is the undeniable winner.
The 42-year-old was acquired by CSK in the first-ever IPL auction in 2008 as the most expensive player. Coming off leading Team India to the title in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, Dhoni immediately took off as CSK skipper.
He led the side to the final in the maiden IPL season, losing to the Rajasthan Royals in the summit clash. A semi-final run in the following season established CSK as the most consistent side, yet they were still searching for the elusive title.
An inspired Dhoni single-handedly willed the team into the semi-final in 2010 with his heroics in a must-win encounter against the Punjab Kings. CSK never looked back after that moment, winning the semi-final and final convincingly to clinch their first IPL trophy. They also completed the double by winning the now-defunct Champions League T20 title later in the year.
The Ranchi-born cricketer then marshaled the troops admirably to achieve back-to-back titles in 2011. At this point, Dhoni had already cemented his place among the pantheon greats as a captain, leading India to ODI World Cup glory a few months back.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Captain Cool led CSK to consecutive finals in 2012 and 2013, where they lost to KKR and MI. Another playoff run in 2014 and a final in 2015 followed before the franchise got banned from the IPL for two years. Despite no IPL titles from 2012 to 2015, Dhoni led CSK to their second Champions League T20 triumph in 2014.
However, the ban forced him to move to the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2016, where he endured arguably his worst IPL season as captain. The side finished second from bottom on the points table, and it was the first time the legendary captain had to watch the playoffs instead of moving his chess pieces in search of a title.
Subsequently, Dhoni was replaced by Steve Smith as RPS captain in 2017, which was his only complete season without the leadership role. Finally, the match made in cricketing heaven returned when CSK was back in the IPL in 2018, and Dhoni was back where he belonged as the skipper.
A resurgent Dhoni led the franchise to three titles and one final in the next six years, from 2018 to 2023. The veteran stepped down briefly in 2022 to groom the next captain in Ravindra Jadeja, but the failed experiment meant 'Thala' was back at the helm from the back end of the season.
It all came full circle when Jadeja smashed the winning runs in a tense final-ball finish in last year's finale, leading to celebrations from even the usually sedate MS Dhoni.
After five IPL titles and ten final appearances in an incredible 15-year captaincy stint, Dhoni finally handed the keys to the CSK kingdom to the reliable Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The 42-year-old finished his IPL captaincy career as the only skipper with 100+ wins and 200+ games. With 133 wins in 226 IPL games as captain, Dhoni's place on top is unquestioned.
Rohit Sharma - Touching unparalleled peaks
Current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma touched improbable peaks as MI captain from 2013 to 2023.
Taking over when the franchise was in the doldrums with no titles in the first five IPL seasons, the 36-year-old converted them from underachievers to fearsome champions. After legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting relinquished the leadership role due to a form slump during the 2013 IPL season, Rohit took over.
What followed was years of dominance unlike any in franchise-based sports. The move paid immediate dividends, with Rohit leading MI to their first title by upstaging CSK in the final in his first stint in 2013. He proved the triumph was no fluke by completing the double of leading his side to the Champions League T20 title in a few months.
MI followed the 2013 euphoria with a reasonable season in 2014, qualifying for the playoffs but being eliminated by CSK. However, four titles in the next six years, from 2015 to 2020, established MI as a force to reckon with and the team to beat.
They also matched CSK by winning back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, taking their overall trophy tally to a then-league-leading five. However, Rohit struggled for form with the bat and failed to overcome several injuries as MI missed the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.
Yet, his final season as captain was one of his most impressive despite not culminating with the coveted trophy. Leading a depleted squad, Rohit displayed tremendous tactical acumen, propelling the side to a third-place finish in 2023.
In an eventful off-season, Rohit was replaced by Hardik Pandya, bringing the curtains down on one of the most dominant captaincy runs in IPL history. The 36-year-old finished with the second most no. of wins as skipper, with 87 wins in 158 games, including five titles.
Virat Kohli - The classic case of 'So near yet so far'
While Virat Kohli's accomplishments as an IPL captain may look underwhelming compared to Dhoni and Rohit, his mark on RCB and their fan base will remain etched in stone forever.
The now-35-year-old took over as RCB skipper in the 2013 IPL season but struggled to come to grips with the additional burden in his first two years. RCB finished fifth and seventh in 2013 and 2014, respectively, leading to concerns everyone concerned.
However, Kohli's unmatched drive and energy finally caught up with his players and proved contagious as RCB stormed back to qualify for the playoffs in 2015. Despite losing to CSK in a hard-fought Qualifier 2, RCB's graph was trending in the right direction.
RCB arguably had their best season in 2016, and skipper Kohli led by example with the batting of the highest order. The champion cricketer scored a single edition IPL record of 973 runs with four centuries to almost single-handedly lead the side to their third final.
Unfortunately, RCB suffered another heartbreaking defeat on the big day, and the result had a detrimental effect on the side over the next few seasons. A dispirited RCB outfit finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2017 and missed the playoffs in the following two seasons.
Not one to ever concede, Kohli ensured his final hurrah as RCB skipper was on a reasonable high, leading the side to the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. He finally stepped down from the role after the 2021 season, bringing to an end an era of several highs and lows.
Despite the inconsistencies, Kohli finished his IPL captaincy career with 66 wins in 143 games.
While the three contrasting leaders each left an indelible mark on their respective franchises, it is safe to say the battle for the best captain is a two-way race between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
Who wins between the two is solely based on what any individual values, from consistency to numbers to longevity to titles to head-to-head results. Irrespective, the trio have left their franchises in a better place than when they took over and subsequently helped the IPL become one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world.
