CSK Captains IPL Record: Chennai Super Kings Leadership List

Chennai Super Kings have had four players captain them in competitive T20 cricket: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni shaped the overwhelming majority of the franchise’s IPL history, while the other three have led during short-term absences, a planned transition and the subsequent new leadership phase. CSK have won five IPL titles—2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023—and captaincy continuity has been a defining part of that record.

CSK captain list at a glance

The captaincy list is short for a franchise that entered the IPL in 2008. ESPNcricinfo’s Chennai Super Kings T20 captain list records MS Dhoni as captain across 244 matches from 2008 to 2025, Suresh Raina across six matches from 2010 to 2019, Ravindra Jadeja across eight matches in 2022, and Ruturaj Gaikwad across 33 matches from 2024 to 2026.

Those are team T20 captaincy appearances rather than a like-for-like IPL-only win-and-loss table. That distinction matters because CSK also played in the Champions League Twenty20, winning that competition in 2010 and 2014. For an IPL-focused view, the leadership spells can be understood as follows:

Captain	CSK captaincy period	Notable leadership context
MS Dhoni	2008–2025	Original captain and leader for most of CSK’s IPL history
Suresh Raina	2010–2019	Stand-in captain during Dhoni’s absences
Ravindra Jadeja	2022	Appointed captain at the start of the season
Ruturaj Gaikwad	2024–2026	Current CSK captain

MS Dhoni: the foundation of CSK’s leadership history

MS Dhoni was named Chennai Super Kings captain before the inaugural IPL season in 2008. His appointment followed the first player auction, where CSK bought the then India captain for $1.5 million. The decision gave the new franchise a leader with international captaincy experience, and he remained central to the team’s identity across its most successful periods.

CSK made the final in their first IPL season under Dhoni. They finished third in the 2008 league stage with eight wins from 14 games, beat Kings XI Punjab in the semi-final and finished runners-up after Rajasthan Royals won the final off the last ball. The early result established a pattern of CSK regularly reaching the latter stages of the competition.

Under Dhoni, CSK won their first IPL title in 2010, defeating Mumbai Indians in the final. They retained the trophy in 2011 after beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in Chennai. The two consecutive championships made CSK the first side to defend the IPL title, while the same period also brought the franchise’s first Champions League Twenty20 title.

Dhoni’s captaincy record was built not only on title years but also on repeat qualification for the playoffs and finals. CSK reached IPL finals in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 before the franchise’s suspension. The team was suspended from the IPL for two years following the 2015 season and returned in 2018, when Dhoni again captained CSK to the title.

The 2018 victory was particularly significant because it came immediately after the team’s return to the IPL. CSK followed it with another final appearance in 2019, then won further titles in 2021 and 2023. Across those campaigns, Dhoni’s captaincy was associated with an experienced core, defined roles and an ability to remain competitive over multiple cycles of player retention and auction rebuilding.

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Dhoni’s 200-match CSK captaincy milestone

Dhoni became the first player to captain an IPL team in 200 matches when CSK played Rajasthan Royals at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on 12 April 2023. At that point, his IPL record as CSK captain stood at 200 matches, 120 wins, 79 defeats and one no-result, according to the Times of India.

That snapshot should be treated as a record up to that specific match rather than a career total. It nevertheless illustrates the scale of his association with one franchise. During CSK’s two-season suspension in 2016 and 2017, Dhoni captained Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016, so his overall IPL captaincy record included matches outside Chennai.

Suresh Raina: CSK’s stand-in leader

Suresh Raina was CSK’s principal stand-in captain during the Dhoni era. His opportunities came when Dhoni was unavailable, which explains why his spell was spread over a long period but involved comparatively few matches. ESPNcricinfo’s CSK T20 captain listing credits Raina with six matches as captain between 2010 and 2019.

Raina’s value to the side extended beyond temporary captaincy. He was part of the core retained by CSK before the 2011 IPL season, alongside Dhoni, Murali Vijay and Albie Morkel. He also played major roles in CSK’s success in the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, including finishing as the leading run-scorer in the 2014 Champions League campaign.

It is important not to confuse Raina’s complete IPL captaincy numbers with his CSK-only spell. The broader IPL captains list includes his matches for Gujarat Lions as well as Chennai Super Kings. For a CSK captain list, his six team T20 appearances are the relevant figure from ESPNcricinfo’s team-specific record.

Ravindra Jadeja: the 2022 transition

Ravindra Jadeja became CSK captain ahead of the 2022 IPL season, marking the first planned handover from Dhoni since the franchise began. Jadeja had joined CSK ahead of the 2012 season and had become one of the side’s most important all-rounders, making him a natural candidate when the leadership change was announced.

His captaincy tenure was brief. ESPNcricinfo’s team listing records Jadeja leading CSK in eight T20 matches in 2022. Dhoni returned as captain during that season, ending the initial transition. The episode showed the practical difficulty of taking over from a captain who had led the same franchise for well over a decade and whose on-field presence remained substantial.

Jadeja’s short captaincy spell should not be judged only through results. Captaincy in the IPL requires responsibility for tactics, bowling changes, field placements and communication while also performing an individual role. For an all-rounder, that adds pressure across all three disciplines. His stint remains an important chapter because it was CSK’s first attempt to move captaincy beyond Dhoni.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: CSK’s current captain

Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the CSK captaincy in 2024 and remains the team’s captain. ESPNcricinfo’s IPL captain list records him with 33 IPL matches as captain from 2024 to 2026, with 14 wins and 19 defeats. The record is clearly scoped to his CSK captaincy in the IPL through the 2026 season.

Gaikwad represented a different kind of succession from Jadeja’s 2022 appointment. He was an established top-order batter whose role could provide a long-term leadership base, while Dhoni remained part of the playing group. That arrangement allowed CSK to maintain experience within the side while placing match leadership with a newer captain.

CSK finished eighth in the 2026 IPL season with six wins from 14 matches. That team result does not match Gaikwad’s full captaincy record because his captaincy span covers multiple seasons, while the 2026 figure applies only to that season. Separating season outcomes from career captaincy numbers helps avoid misleading comparisons.

What makes CSK’s captaincy record distinctive?

CSK’s leadership history stands out because it has been defined by stability rather than frequent change. The franchise has used only four captains across its competitive T20 history, with Dhoni leading the side for the dominant share of matches. That stability coincided with five IPL titles, ten IPL final appearances and 12 playoff qualifications.

The captain’s role at CSK has also evolved. Dhoni created the long-running framework, Raina covered occasional absences, Jadeja experienced a short transition phase, and Gaikwad now leads the team in a new cycle. Each spell reflects a different requirement: continuity, cover, transition or succession.

CSK’s captain list is therefore more than a set of names and match totals. It tracks the franchise’s journey from its 2008 launch through title-winning eras, a two-year suspension, a championship-winning return and the move towards Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership. Dhoni remains the defining figure in the record, but the current phase gives CSK an opportunity to build its next leadership legacy.