IPL's Worst Captains: 7 Skippers Who Failed Despite Big Opportunities (Min. 30 Matches)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most thrilling cricket competitions in the world. Each team requires a powerful captain who can lead them to victory. Although some captains did an excellent job, others failed to deliver well. In this article, we will discuss some of the worst captains in IPL history. These are the players who were unable to deliver well with their leadership and could not win their teams.

 

Worst Captains in the History of IPL

 

Sr. no	Players
1	Kumar Sangakkara
2	Mahela Jayawardene
3	Ajinkya Rahane
4	Sourav Ganguly
5	Suresh Raina
6	Rahul Dravid
7	George Bailey

 

Kumar Sangakkara

 

Image Source: BCCI

 

Kumar Sangakkara is usually known as one of the brilliant captains to lead Sri Lanka. But things have really gone wrong for the Sri Lankan legend in IPL. He is listed among one of the worst skippers in the league's history. In his IPL career, he has led several teams but did not have much success while leading the side, as he has a win percentage of just 31.39.

 

While leading four teams in IPL (Punjab Kings, Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has only won 15 matches out of 47, which is really a bad record for any skipper. Even though he has failed to deliver as skipper in IPL, he has done a really good job as a batter, as he has scored 1687 runs with a strike rate of 121.19.

 

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Mahela Jayawardene

 

Image Source: AFP

 

Our second list contains another Sri Lankan name who has done a really good job as the skipper of Sri Lanka but has failed in IPL. Mahela Jayawardene also led two IPL teams (Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals), but he could only win 10 matches out of 30, which means his win percentage is only 33.33, which is one of the worst in IPL.

 

Just like his partner Kumar Sangakkara, even though Mahela failed as a skipper, as a batter he has done wonders in IPL. In 80 matches he has scored 1802 runs with a strike rate of 123.25; he has also bagged a century as well.

 

Ajinkya Rahane

 

Image Source: AFP/Getty Images

 

Our list contains another name that will surprise you, and it is none other than Ajinkya Rahane. Usually Rahane is considered a really good captain in every form of the game; he captains his side whether it is any domestic team, the Indian team, or any IPL team. He has done a really good job while leading the Indian team; BGT 2020 is the biggest example of his brilliant captaincy. 

 

He has just a win percentage of 37.83 as captain, which is a bit surprising for sure. He has led several teams such as RR, RPS and KKR in the cash-rich league. Rajasthan Royals is one of those where he helped the team to reach the playoffs in 2018. But his overall numbers in IPL are not matching his captaincy brilliance, as he has just won 14 matches out of 37 matches. In IPL 2025 he is again leading the KKR, and he will have a chance to improve his record as skipper.

 

Sourav Ganguly

 

Image Source: AFP

 

Our list also contains Sourav Ganguly, the captain who revolutionized team captaincy in India and who changed the map of Indian cricket with his brilliant captaincy. Unlike his greatness as skipper for Indian cricket, he has failed to do such things in IPL as skipper. He has a win percentage of just 40.47, winning just 17 matches out of 42.

 

In the IPL he has led Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors India but has failed to replicate his brilliance. Talking about his captaincy, he has considered the greatest Indian skipper of all time, who helped Indian cricket to take a different shape. Under his captaincy, India started to dominate world cricket. But his legacy as skipper of IPL teams is not as great as his time as an Indian skipper.

 

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 Suresh Raina

 

Image Source: AFP

 

Suresh Raina has also led IPL teams in IPL, during 2016 and 2017 when he was the full-time skipper of Gujarat Lions. He was brilliant as a batter, but he failed to make a mark as a skipper in the IPL. In the year 2016, which was the first season of Gujarat Lions, Raina was brilliant as skipper, where Gujarat Lions emerged as the table topper with 18 points.

 

But things went really wrong with the team led by Raina, as they could only win 4 matches, and this is where Raina’s record as skipper went wrong. He has also led CSK in absence of MS Dhoni. Raina as a skipper has played 34 matches and has won only 14 and has a win percentage of 41.7.

Rahul Dravid

 

Image Source: IPL

 

Indian legendary batter Rahul Dravid is also on our list of IPL worst skipper, because he has not done great things as skipper in IPL. In IPL he has led two teams (RCB and RR) but has failed to make his mark as skipper. He has only won 22 out of 48, which makes his win percentage just 45.83. 

 

His legacy as skipper in IPL has nothing special, but his contribution has been amazing for a few IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals as coach or as mentor. As a batter, he has played 89 matches, and he has scored 2174 runs. 

 

George Bailey

 

Image Source: BCCI

 

Australian batter is also on our list of worst IPL skippers. He has captained few IPL teams in IPL but has failed to make a mark as captain of IPL teams. He has played 30 matches as the skipper in IPL and has just won 14 matches, which makes his win percentage just 46.66. He led the Punjab Kings to the final of IPL 2014, and that is the only highlight of his time as captain in IPL.

 

Conclusion 

 

It is not an easy thing to be a captain in the IPL. Good planning, clever thinking, and pressure leadership skills are required. Unfortunately, those captains on this list were not able to meet those requirements. Although they could be good players, their periods as captain failed. Fans believe that future captains will learn lessons from these experiences and lead the teams more properly.