Featuring a recent blind ranking challenge Sanjay Bangar There has been a lively debate among cricket fans, especially supporters of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the challenge, Bangar ranked six leading captains of the Indian Premier League (IPL) without initially knowing their names. When the results came out, great batsmen were seen in it. Virat Kohli Placed at fifth place on the list – a decision that immediately caught the attention of fans on social media.
The challenge, conducted in a video segment with ESPNcricinfo, was designed to remove bias. Before revealing the identities, Bangar was asked to rank the captains solely on the basis of leadership credentials. Once the names were revealed, there was a lot of conversation about the legacy and achievements of some of the most successful IPL captains in the list.
Sanjay Bangar’s blind ranking of IPL captains
At the end of the challenge, Bangar’s final rankings were topped by MS Dhoni, followed by Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. Shreyas Iyer finished fourth, while Kohli finished fifth and Hardik Pandya finished sixth.
The full rankings looked like this:
- ms dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
- Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
- Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals/Kolkata Knight Riders/Punjab Kings)
- Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians/Gujarat Titans)
For many fans, the top three were hardly surprising. Dhoni’s leadership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has long been considered the gold standard in IPL history. Under his captaincy, CSK won the IPL trophy five times – in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. Dhoni also holds the record for most wins as a captain in IPL history, with 133 wins in 226 matches and an impressive win percentage of almost 59.
Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five IPL titles between 2013 and 2020, finished second. His ability to guide Mumbai in pressure situations and deliver results in knockout matches played a major role in building one of the most successful dynasties in IPL history.
Gautam Gambhir secured the third position thanks to his transformational leadership with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Under Gambhir’s captaincy, KKR won their first two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, making the franchise a serious contender after years of struggle.
Why did former RCB coach place Virat Kohli at fifth position?
However, the most talked about part of Bangar’s rankings was Kohli’s position at No. 5. While Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen in IPL history, his captaincy record with Royal Challengers Bangalore has often been debated.
Kohli led RCB in 143 matches between 2011 and 2023, winning 66 games and losing 70. His overall win percentage as captain is around 46.15, which is significantly lower than many other successful IPL captains.
Despite having some of the most explosive batting lineups during his tenure – which included players like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle – RCB managed to reach only one final under Kohli. That came in the 2016 season, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by a narrow margin.
Bangar, who previously worked with RCB as the head coach ahead of the IPL 2022 season, would have witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by the team during those years.
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Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s fourth-place ranking reflects his impressive captaincy record across multiple franchises. He led Delhi Capitals (DC) to their maiden IPL final in 2020, led KKR to the IPL 2024 title and later took Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final in his first season with the franchise. His win percentage of over 55 percent further strengthens his claim as one of the most effective captains in the league.
The case of Hardik Pandya, who is at sixth position, remains interesting. He led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in his first season in 2022 and reached another final in 2023. However, his return to the MI camp brought mixed results, including a disappointing 2024 season where the team finished bottom of the table.
The debate over Kohli’s captaincy ranking comes at an interesting time for RCB. The franchise finally ended its long wait for an IPL title in 2025, winning the trophy under the leadership of new captain Rajat Patidar.
Even without the captaincy, Kohli remained a vital part of that victory, scoring 657 runs at an average of 54.75 during the title-winning campaign. His performances confirmed his importance to the team as a senior batsman and leader in the dressing room.
As RCB prepares Start your IPL 2026 campaign against SRH on March 28The discussion about Kohli’s captaincy legacy is likely to continue. Whether fans agree with Bangar’s ranking or not, the conversation highlights how closely leadership records are scrutinized in a competitive tournament like the IPL T20.
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