The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been home to successful skippers since 2008. The likes of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir have been phenomenal, but when it comes to the most successful captain, the tag belongs to Rohit Sharma.
He has led Mumbai Indians to five titles, and his leadership qualities have been applauded by many. He started his IPL journey with now-defunct Deccan Chargers and won the league in 2009. After that, however, he was bought by Mumbai India for US$2 million.
Four franchises were interested in him. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai won the race in the end, and the rest is history.
Rohit replaced Ricky Ponting, who stepped down from captaincy midway through 2013. They defeated Chennai in the final and won the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 in the same season.
He led MI to victories in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir has heaped massive praise on Rohit, saying he was the only captain who gave him sleepless nights.
“As Captain, Rohit is the only player who gave me sleepless nights. Chris Gayle nor AB de Villiers, nor anyone else was as impactful as the 33-year old. He is the most successful cricketer in the history of the Indian Premier League,” Gambhir said during a discussion on Star Sports.
Mumbai Indians are in Group A, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow Super Giants.
Group B consist of Chennai Super Kings, Sunrises Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, and Gujarat Titans.