IPL: 5 captains with worst win percentage in league history

IPL: 5 captains with worst win percentage in league history. (Photo source: Jio Hotstar)

Over the years, the  has witnessed some fine captains helping their teams achieve glory. However, some captains did not manage to inspire their teams to great performances.

MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are two of the most successful captains in IPL history. They led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles, respectively. Gautam Gambhir is another player who won multiple titles as captain. He helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win two titles in 2012 and 2014.

However, who are the captains who have not been as successful? CricTracker lists five of them with worst win percentage after leading their teams in at least 50 matches.

Five captains with the lowest win percentage in IPL 5. Sanju Samson Sanju Samson and Sandeep Sharma (Source: IPL/X)

started leading the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL since 2021. Under his leadership, the inaugural champions have reached the playoffs in two out of four seasons. While this is a nice achievement, the Royals have lacked consistency even in the seasons when they reached the playoffs.

In IPL 2024, they won eight out of their first nine matches and seemed like a prime contender for getting one of the top two spots at the end of the league phase. However, four defeats in their last five games meant that they finished at No. 3. This forced them to go on the longer route to the final, and they crumbled in Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Samson has helped the Royals to 33 wins from 65 matches. He has a win percentage of 51.56.

4. KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

is currently playing as a specialist wicketkeeper-batter for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025. The experienced campaigner, who was roped in by DC at the IPL 2025 mega auction, reportedly turned down a captaincy offer as he wanted to focus on his batting. However, he has led Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the past.

Rahul captained PBKS in two seasons - 2020 and 2021. The Punjab-based franchise finished sixth in both editions. He went on to lead Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the next three seasons. In IPL 2022 and 2023, the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise reached the playoffs. However, they finished seventh last season and Rahul was subsequently released by the franchise. The 32-year-old has 32 wins from 64 games at a win percentage of 50.

3. David Warner David Warner vs KKR in IPL 2017 ( Photo source : IPL )

used to lead from the front when he was at Sunrisers Hyderabad. He helped his team win the title in 2016. The opening batter is the only cricketer to have won the Orange Cap in three different seasons. After doing a commendable job as skipper, Warner shifted to DC after his association with SRH ended bitterly.

Warner led DC in IPL 2023, but the team finished second from the bottom on the points table. The diminutive cricketer has 40 wins as captain from 83 matches in the IPL. His win percentage is 48.19. While the numbers may not look very impressive, the ones who have seen him lead his sides in the IPL would know how much of an impact he used to make, especially during his days at SRH.

2.  Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo Source - Twitter/X)

is the only player who has represented one team in all 18 seasons of the IPL. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon led his team from 2013 to 2021. While the team had some memorable performances under his reign, the elusive first title eluded the franchise. He relinquished the captaincy after IPL 2021 to focus more on his batting.

Kohli won the Orange Cap in 2016, aggregating the most number of runs (973) by a batter in a particular season. In 2016, RCB reached the final for the first time in five seasons. However, they were beaten by Warner's SRH in a high-scoring clash. In 143 games as captain, Kohli has 68 victories, with a win percentage of 47.55. He is currently helping RCB skipper Rajat Patidar in IPL 2025 with timely inputs and continues to lead in many other ways.

1. Adam Gilchrist

led Deccan Chargers to their first and only IPL title in 2009. This was after they had finished last in the previous season. Gilchrist was praised by cricket experts for his captaincy skills as the Deccan Chargers forged a miraculous turnaround. He not only made an impression with his calmness under pressure but also gave opportunities to young players like Rohit Sharma.

From IPL 2011 to 2013, he captained Punjab Kings. The wicketkeeper-batter was given additional responsibility in 2012 when he was appointed as the team's coach and mentor. Gilchrist won 35 out of the 74 matches he captained in the IPL. He ended his career with a win percentage of 47.30, which is still the worst in the history of the cash-rich tournament.

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Data as of April 18, 2025