What is the very first thing that comes to your mind, when you think of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK)? The unmistakable yellow uniforms, that catchy whistle sound, and, of course, the IPL trophies.
Success for the team and brand wouldn’t’ have been possible in just five seasons, if there had not been a very powerful captain. You surely know who we’re talking about, but apart from him, there were a few other players too who got to hold the baton of this team.
We will discuss all the CSK captains in IPL history in this article.
List of Captains for Chennai Super kings in IPL History
1. MS Dhoni – 2008-2025
Is it really possible to think of CSK without MS Dhoni? This whole team has a large number of followers, and they are all the result of this man’s efforts.
With MS Dhoni around, CSK was the mighty king! It was his smartness in leadership that lifted CSK to be the best in the IPL.
Dhoni’s captaincy never spoke anything but victory. In his captaincy, Chennai played more than 200 games, and almost 130 of them were winning.
No one in the whole history of the IPL can claim to be a captain of a team that played 200 games and lost just 100! And MSD is also the second captain who achieved the feat of winning five titles in the IPL, and he did it all in CSK itself.
Not just in this league, Dhoni also won the magic of the Champions League T20. Two trophies were the reward for CSK, which he led in the now-defunct T20 league.
Therefore, it is not a surprise at all when the experts give him a high rating as a skipper in the IPL.
2. Suresh Raina – 2010-2019
Suresh Raina was a very loyal aide of Dhoni in the CSK unit. In the absence of Dhoni, it was Raina who took the charge.
The left-hander was the captain of the Super Kings in five matches of the T20 league. He led CSK once with the lone win coming on his captaincy debut in 2010, but the team suffered four defeats under his leadership.
Although Raina was never a permanent CSK captain, he eventually took the reins of Gujarat Lions for the two seasons they played in 2016 and 2017.
3. Ravindra Jadeja – 2022-2022
Ravindra Jadeja was always there with the franchise. He is a CSK player since 2012.
Once Dhoni made the announcement he was quitting before the 2022 tournament, Jadeja was nominated as his successor. He was the second player to lead CSK in full-time capacity after Dhoni.
But Jadeja’s tenure as a full-time captain was cut short in the very season. The Super Kings were not winning games with him at the helm their record being just two out of eight.
Somehow, the captaincy pressure took a toll on his own game which made him hand back the responsibilities to MSD mid-year.
Read Also:- Mumbai Indians IPL Captains List
4. Ruturaj Gaikwad – 2024-2025
The failure of the captaincy transition in 2022 prompted MSD to retire once again. He did this quietly by making Ruturaj Gaikwad his successor. This decision went unnoticed until a day before the IPL 2024 season opened.
Gaikwad experienced success and failure during his first year as a captain. Although he was the top batter in the team, they won seven matches and lost as many, thus sliding out of the playoff race and unable to defend their championship.
However, he was back to lead the side in 2025 but an elbow injury curtailed his season. CSK recorded just one win in the five matches that Gaikwad captained in 2025.
