IPL 2025 Leadership Analysis: From Shreyas Iyer To MS Dhoni - Rating All 10 Captains

MS Dhoni and Shreyas Iyer in IPL 2025 [Source: AP Photos]

IPL 2025 is finally down to its league stage. We are just four games away from getting a new champion. With the top four teams decided and the league table having taken its final shape, it is the perfect time to delve into a deeper analysis of the teams and players from the league stage. 

In this article, we will try and rank the captains of the teams from their performances in the tournament. 

10. Rishabh Pant

Evaluation - 2/10

The LSG skipper struggled to find rhythm with the bat throughout the tournament. Even though Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant Hundred in the last game, it was too late to have any effect on the journey of the team.

Highlights of Rishabh Pant's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Failing to lead from the front - In the whole tournament, Pant scored 269 runs, out of which 118 runs came in a single game. This shows the lack of consistency and impact on the team performance, Rishabh Pant had. 

Lack of Proactiveness - In almost all the matches, Rishabh Pant looked more like a reactive captain, than a proactive captain. Even in games, where LSG were ahead, Pant's lack of imagination and proactiveness cost them the game.

9. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane for KKR [Source: AP Photos]

Evaluation - 2.5/10

The veteran Indian batter was appointed as the KKR captain for the IPL 2025 season. Though Ajinkya Rahane was one of the most consistent batters of the KKR team, his leadership lacked the qualities that could have helped the Knights defend their title. 

Highlights of Ajinkya Rahane's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Strange Calls - One of the highlights of Anjikya Rahane's captaincy was not using Andre Russell as a death bowler. The West Indian all-rounder had one of the best records as a death bowler in the previous season. The deterrence of Rahane from a working principle made less sense and impacted the performance of the team in the campaign. 

Mismanagement Of Resources - Both during the batting and bowling of the team, Rahane failed to utilise his resources properly. From failing to identify the entry points of key bowlers and batters to sticking to combinations that are not yielding results, his captaincy played a major role in KKR being unsuccessful this season. 

8. Pat Cummins

Evaluation - 3/10

The SRH skipper played a revolutionary role in changing the game style of the franchise. The presence of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma played a major role in this major shift but Pat Cummins had a huge role in it too. However, in IPL 2025 the ideas did not work out for the runners-up of IPL 2024 and thus it resulted in an early elimination for them. 

Highlights of Pat Cummins' Captaincy In IPL 2025

Failing To React As Per Situations - Pat Cummins has one World Cup and one World Test Championship under his belt as a captain, so, there is no doubting his tactical and strategic acumen. However, it looked like in IPL 2025, Pat Cummins failed to renovate and adapt to the situation and depended more on what worked in the previous edition of the tournament. 

7. MS Dhoni

Evaluation - 4/10

If You speak of legacy and dynasty in cricket, you cannot ignore MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings. However, IPL 2025 was the worst season for the team and also MSD, the captain. His team finished at the bottom of the table for the first time in history and there were some serious flaws of the legendary leader that led to this disaster.

Highlights Of MS Dhoni's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Sticking To His Traditional Thinking - CSK lost half the battle during the IPL 2025 mega auction. The franchise has over the years worked with 'bits and pieces' players and transformed them into champions. The team went for the same approach and that backfired for them at the very beginning of the tournament. By the time, the management understood their mistakes it was too late for them to rectify things and do repair work.

6. Axar Patel

Evaluation - 6/10

The Delhi Capitals started their campaign on a brilliant note, going unbeaten for the first four matches. However, after this, their campaign started a dramatic turn-around and they got eliminated early from the tournament. Even though Axar Patel made valuable contributions with both the bat and the ball, there were serious drawbacks to his leadership. 

Highlights Of Axar Patel's Captaincy In IPL 2025

One-Dimensional Leadership - The Capitals under the leadership of Axar Patel looked brilliant at the beginning of the tournament. However, as the tournament progressed, it looked like he failed to evolve as a leader. Patel stuck to things that worked for him at the beginning and hence the team suffered going forward.

5. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson For RR in IPL 2025 [Source: AP Photos]

Evaluation - 7/10

One of the major drawbacks for Sanju Samson in IPL 2025 was his struggles with injury. The RR skipper missed a few games due to injury and as a result, did not lead the team. Riyan Parag stepped into the role in Samson's absence but as Sanju was leading the team on most of the occasions, we will evaluate his IPL 2025 campaign. 

Highlights Of Sanju Samson's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Unfamiliarity With The Team - As this was a team that Sanju got after a Maga auction, it looked like he was not too familiar with the roles of players. From persistence in using Dhruv Jurel as a finisher besides his repeated failure and more compatibility as a stabiliser to failure in using underrated bowlers like Akash Madhwal, Sanju committed some serious mistakes that derailed the RR campaign pretty early.

4. Rajat Patidar

Evaluation - 7.5/10

The transitions from Faf du Plessis to Rajat Patidar have been very smooth for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The Indian middle-order batter has led the team adeptly and has shown great strategic and tactical flexibility.

Highlights Of Rajat Patidar's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Tactical And Strategic Awareness - Rajat Patidar has looked pretty comfortable in the role in his first season. He has looked confident and fully aware of the roles his players are able to play. Patidar has used his resources brilliantly and also bought in the perfect players whenever necessary during the tournament. As a result of the strategic and tactical brilliance he has shown, RCB looks like the favourites to lift the trophy. 

3. Hardik Pandya

Evaluation - 8/10

After a disastrous IPL 2024 season, things started more or less the same way for Hardik Pandya in IPL 2025. However, Pandya showed great tactical awareness and led the team through a dramatic comeback in the latter half of the tournament. 

Highlights Of Hardik Pandya's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Ability To Adapt - The tournament started with some wayward selections on Hardik's part leading to MI losing some crucial matches. However, with the progress of the tournament, Pandya spotted his perfect combination very quickly and as a result we saw the team gelling well with time.

Man Management - One of the key problems of MI's IPL 2024 campaign was the lack of management. However, in IPL 2025, it looked like Hardik Pandya knew better about how to handle his team and how to get the best out of his players. The upgraded man management by Hardik could be spotted in the team's progress during the second half of the tournament. 

2. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill For GT in IPL 2025 [Source: AP Photos]

Evaluation - 8.5/10

Shubman Gill is one more captain who has scripted a dramatic turnaround for his team after a below-average IPL 2024 season. Although as a team, Gujarat Titans looked well composed and very nicely gelled, Shubman Gill did make a difference with his leadership despite some drawbacks. 

Highlights Of Shubman Gill's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Data Dependence - Well in some cases, it has looked like a drawback. Decisions like using Sai Kishore in the last over of a game just for the sake of matchups looked like slip-ups from the skipper. However, since Gujarat Titans have made it to the play-offs and till one stage looked like the invincibles, one can say that he has been successful as a leader. 

1. Shreyas Iyer

Evaluation - 9/10

After a championship run with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, Shreyas Iyer has looked like the same daring leader in this edition of the tournament. Iyer's captaincy has allowed the Punjab Kings to finish at the top of the table and they have looked like a completely different unit under him. 

Highlights Of Shubman Gill's Captaincy In IPL 2025

Strategic Smartness - The fact that he has led the team from the front stands out, but his street smartness as a strategic leader has been the biggest factor behind the brilliant show by PBKS in IPL 2025. Shreyas Iyer has shown his ability to adapt and shift his strategies as per the situation of the game and stage of the tournament. 

Trusting His Guts - One of the rare qualities among modern captains is their instinctiveness. This has been the quality of some of the greatest leaders in the game like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Graeme Smith and many others. Shreyas Iyer has shown the ability to trust and back his calls and lead the team based on his instinctiveness and guts.

---

ALSO READ

RCB's Glaring Loopholes: Problems That Kohli And Co. Should Address Before Qualifier 1 Vs PBKS

---