MS Dhoni holds the record for the most Player of the Match awards as captain in IPL history. The former Chennai Super Kings captain has won the award 17 times while leading a team in the IPL. That total puts him four awards clear of the next names on the list. It is a record built on long captaincy spells, calm finishes with the bat, and match winning performances in big games.
Winning Player of the Match as captain is special because the player carries two jobs at once. He must make the right calls on the field and also deliver a performance that changes the match. Dhoni did that more often than any other captain in IPL history. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma share second place with 13 awards each, while Virat Kohli follows with 11 awards as captain.
Below you will find the captains with the most Player of the Match awards in the IPL, with the full top 10 and how many matches each captained.
IPL Stats Most Player of the Match Awards as Captain Overview
The Player of the Match award goes to the best performer in a match. When the winner is also the captain, it shows leadership and match winning skill in the same game. The table below gives the headline facts of this record.
| Record detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Record | Most Player of the Match awards as captain in IPL |
| Record holder | MS Dhoni |
| Awards as captain | 17 |
| Matches as captain | 235 |
| Teams captained | Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant |
| Awards for Chennai Super Kings | 16 |
| Awards for Rising Pune Supergiant | 1 |
Dhoni won 16 of his 17 awards as Chennai Super Kings captain. That is the most Player of the Match awards by a captain for a single IPL team. His other award came as Rising Pune Supergiant captain against Kings XI Punjab in 2016.
Top 10 Captains with Most Player of the Match Awards in IPL
The table below lists the top 10 captains in this record. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are tied in second place. Virender Sehwag and David Warner are tied with 8 awards each. Shreyas Iyer and Sachin Tendulkar are tied with 7 awards each.
| Rank | Captain | Team | Matches as Captain | Player of the Match Awards as Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant | 235 | 17 |
| 2 | Gautam Gambhir | Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils | 129 | 13 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | Mumbai Indians | 158 | 13 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 143 | 11 |
| 5 | KL Rahul | Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants | 64 | 9 |
| 6 | Virender Sehwag | Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab | 53 | 8 |
| 6 | David Warner | Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals | 83 | 8 |
| 8 | Shreyas Iyer | Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings | 99 | 7 |
| 8 | Sachin Tendulkar | Mumbai Indians | 51 | 7 |
| 10 | Adam Gilchrist | Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab | 74 | 6 |
Just outside the top 10, Sourav Ganguly won 5 Player of the Match awards as captain in 42 matches as captain. More than 35 players have won the award at least once while captaining a side in the IPL.
Record History
Dhoni built this record over the longest captaincy career in IPL history. He led Chennai Super Kings in more than 200 matches and also captained Rising Pune Supergiant in 14 matches. No other captain has led in more than 200 IPL matches. That long run gave him more chances to win the award, but his calm batting in close games turned those chances into awards.
His total moved from 16 to 17 in April 2025. He was back as stand in captain for Chennai Super Kings that season and won the Player of the Match award against Lucknow Super Giants. That award took him clear at the top and added to a record that already looked safe.
Gambhir and Rohit reached 13 awards in very different ways. Gambhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles and scored heavily at the top of the order. Rohit led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and played many match winning knocks as captain. Kohli captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 143 matches and won 11 awards, which shows how often his batting decided games even in seasons when his team did not win the title.
KL Rahul sits fifth with 9 awards in only 64 matches as captain. That is a strong rate for a shorter captaincy career. Sehwag and Warner follow with 8 each. Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL title in 2016. Shreyas Iyer and Tendulkar share 7 awards each, while Gilchrist closes the top 10 with 6 awards.
What This Record Tells Us
This record rewards captains who stay in the job for a long time and keep performing themselves. Dhoni, Rohit, Gambhir and Kohli all captained for many seasons. Their teams trusted them year after year, and they repaid that trust with big performances.
It also shows how rare overseas success is in this list. Adam Gilchrist and David Warner are the only overseas players with five or more Player of the Match awards as captains in the IPL. Both also led their teams to IPL titles, Gilchrist with Deccan Chargers in 2009 and Warner with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
The record also shows the value of finishing games. Many of these awards came in close matches where the captain scored the key runs or made the key call at the right time. A captain who wins games with his own performance earns the trust of his team, and that trust often leads to more wins.
For a current captain to catch Dhoni, he would need a long captaincy career and regular match winning performances. Shreyas Iyer, with 7 awards, is the most active name near the top, but he still needs 10 more awards to reach 17. That gap shows how far ahead Dhoni sits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most Player of the Match awards as captain in IPL?
MS Dhoni has won the most Player of the Match awards as captain in IPL, with 17 awards in 235 matches as captain.
How many Player of the Match awards did MS Dhoni win as Chennai Super Kings captain?
MS Dhoni won 16 Player of the Match awards as Chennai Super Kings captain. His other award as captain came for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016.
Who is second in the list of most Player of the Match awards as captain?
Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma share second place with 13 Player of the Match awards each as captain.
How many Player of the Match awards did Virat Kohli win as captain?
Virat Kohli won 11 Player of the Match awards as captain in 143 matches as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Which overseas captains have won five or more Player of the Match awards in IPL?
Adam Gilchrist and David Warner are the only overseas players with five or more Player of the Match awards as captains in the IPL. Gilchrist won 6 awards and Warner won 8 awards as captain.
What is the Player of the Match award in IPL?
The Player of the Match award goes to the best performer in a match. It can go to a batter, a bowler, an all rounder or a wicketkeeper for a performance that changes the result of the game.
Statistics updated through: 31 October 2026
