Who is the Bad Captain in the IPL? List of Five Worst Captains

| Posted on January 28, 2025

The Indian Premier League is one of the most celebrated cricket tournaments in the world. It has brought together some of the finest cricketers across the world to create the perfect blend of entertainment and skills. 

In an IPL game, captaincy plays a crucial role to propel a mediocre team into a champion. Weak captaincy can lead even the most talented bunch into failure. 

We have seen iconic captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma from the list of the best captains in IPL. It has also witnessed some captaincy stints failing to make an impact. 

In this article, we will explore the list of five worst captains in IPL. 

Understanding Bad Captaincy in IPL

Who is a bad captain in the IPL? It’s not an easy question to tackle. Before diving into the list of the worst captains in IPL, let’s understand bad captaincy. 

A captain in a cricket team has many responsibilities beyond just leading the team on the field. Captains need to make tactical decisions, inspire players, manage egos, and handle the pressure of expectations. 

A bad captain IPL is not just a player with a poor win percentage. Other factors like poor decision-making, failure to adapt to high-pressure situations, and failure to motivate the team can also contribute.  

Five Worst Captains in IPL History

The league has seen many successful captains over the years, but some failed miserably. It is not a guarantee that a successful international player or captain will make a great captain in the IPL. 

So, who is the bad captain in the IPL? 

Here is the list of five bad captains in the IPL. 

PlayerMatchesWinsLossesTiesWin Percentage
Kumar Sangakkara 471530231.91
Mahela Jayawardene301019133.33
Sourav Ganguly421725040.48
George Bailey361619144.44
Rahul Dravid482226045.83

For this list, we’ve only taken players into consideration who’ve played at least 25 games. 

Kumar Sangakkara 

Kumar Sangakkara in IPL

Kumar Sangakkara is one of the greatest players to ever play cricket, period. He was a successful captain of the Sri Lankan team and took them to the 2011 World Cup final. However, he has been one of the worst IPL captains. 

Kumar captained teams like Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, his track record is not great. 

The IPL’s worst captain, Kumar Sangakkara has captained multiple IPL teams in 47 matches and managed to win only 15 games. He had 30 losses and 2 ties as well. 

  • Win Percentage: 31.91%
  • Sangakkara often Struggled to find the right balance with the team, especially with the bowling lineups. 

Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene in IPL

Another Sri Lakan legend and prolific batter Mahela Jayawardene failed to make an impact as a captain in IPL. So, if you’re asked, “Who is bad captain in IPL”, you can certainly take Mahela’s name. 

A great campaigner and captain for Sri Lanka with a stellar record failed to make an impression in IPL with abysmal numbers. In the 30 matches, he captained multiple teams, he could only win 10 of them. It is quite disheartening to see such a monumental figure in cricket. 

  • Win Percentage: 33.33%
  • Mahela Jayawardene failed to adapt to the needs of the IPL. 

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly was known for his dynamic style of leadership in the early 2000s in the Indian cricket team. He is categorized as one of the greatest Indian captains in history. 

Despite having such a stellar international career, the success as captain eluded him. Ganguly captained Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors India but was unable to replicate his international success in the T20 format. He only had 17 wins from the 42 matches he captained in IPL. He lost 35 of them. 

  • Win Percentage: 40.48%
  • Ganguly captained two IPL teams but struggled with both of them. 

George Bailey

George Bailey in IPL

Another excellent foreign captain who couldn’t make it big in the IPL is George Bailey. He had a great record as Australian captain. He won more than 50 percent of his games when representing Australia as captain. 

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) team owners made George Bailey the captain due to his successful past. However, KXIP has some of the most devastating defeats under his captaincy. Despite captaining KXIP for 36 matches, he could only win 16 of them. Thus, the team comes in the list of worst IPL teams in history. 

  • Win Percentage: 44.44%
  • Bailey was made captain of KXIP in 2014 and took them to finals. But 2015 proved to be the worst season for KXIP as they finished last on the table. 

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid in IPL

Rahul Dravid was one of the best players to ever play cricket for India. He was the team man and always put the needs of the team before his own. The Wall of Indian cricket had a successful career as captain of India. However, he could not replicate his international success in the IPL. 

He captained two teams, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the IPL. Out of 48 matches, he won 22 of them and lost 26. He had a win percentage of 45.83. 

  • Win Percentage: 45.83%

Conclusion

So, who is the bad captain in the IPL?

Captaincy is a double-edged sword in the IPL. It can cement a player’s legacy or tarnish their reputation. The five captains we’ve listed here faced many challenges as they took the role of captaincy in IPL. It exposed their limitations as leaders. 

This was our list of bad captains in IPL. Hope you are in agreement. If not, do share your thoughts below. 

FAQs

Ans: Kumar Sangakkara was bad in the IPL with a win percentage of 31.91.

Ans: Mahendra Singh Dhoni ranks at number one in this regard and lost 91 matches in his captaincy in the IPL.

Ans: IPL captains face unique challenges, such as managing diverse players from various cultures, dealing with franchise pressure, and having to make quick decisions.

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