Captaining a side is arguably one of the toughest gigs in cricket. When a team is on a winning spree, the captain is the hero but when the side is performing poorly, the same hero is subjected to tons of criticism. A good captain cuts down the outside noise and brings the best out of the team.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League (IPL)</a> has also witnessed many players being handed the leadership duties of a franchise but not everyone has been able to thrive in the role. MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir are a few of the most successful captains to have graced the marquee tournament. Barring these Indian captains, there have been certain overseas players who have left the cricket fraternity in awe of their exceptional captaincy skills.

Here are the five best overseas captains in IPL history

Kane Williamson is one of the finest batters New Zealand cricket has produced. He has put up an exhibition of his glorious strokeplay and piled on runs for fun. Also, the Tauranga-born has shown his captaincy credentials in both the international circuit and the lucrative T20 tournament.

Talking about the IPL, Williamson has featured in 77 games and amassed 2101 runs at a strike rate of 126.03. He was handed the reins of<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/srh-sunrisers-hyderabad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sunrisers Hyderabad</a> in 2018 when David Warner was banned from the tournament due to his involvement in the sandpaper-gate scandal and the Kiwi batter played the role to perfection.

Willaimson led from the front and amassed an insane tally of 735 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 142.44. He was spot-on with his tactics and guided SRH to the summit clash. Again, under Williamson’s leadership, the Hyderabad franchise reached the playoffs in 2019.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ipl-2023-steve-smith-picks-his-top-four-teams-ahead-of-upcoming-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Smith</a> has been a bankable name in the lucrative T20 tournament. He has featured in 103 IPL matches and notched up 2485 runs at a strike rate of 128.09. At times, the 33-year-old has been entrusted to lead the team in the marquee event and he has played the role superbly.

In the 2015 season of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals handed the leadership duties of the side to Smith in the early stages of the tournament when designated skipper Shane Watson was out injured and the Sydney-born marshaled the team to four consecutive victories. Later in the competition, Steve was made the designated captain of the Rajasthan side and he led the team to the playoffs.

In 2017, Smith was tasked to captain Rising Pune Supergiant and the ace batter thrived in the role. With Steve at the helm, Pune played some sensational cricket and made it to the finals of the T20 extravaganza. Overall, he has led an IPL side on 43 occasions and did a good job, piloting the team to 25 wins.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/a-case-of-mistaken-identity-gilchrist-on-report-of-him-being-richest-cricketer-with-3140-crore-net-worth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Gilchrist</a> was a superstar of the game. During his playing days, he was a game-changer with the bat for Australia and was also lightning-quick behind the stumps. The Bellingen-born displayed his batting prowess in the IPL arena too and dismantled bowling attacks for fun.

Gilchrist has featured in 80 IPL games and collected 2069 runs at a strike rate of 138.39. Besides his batting exploits, he showed his might as a leader plenty of times. With the former wicketkeeper-batter at the helm, Deccan Chargers wrote their names in history books by winning the 2009 season of the marquee tournament.

Gilchrist &amp; Co. also played some exciting brand of cricket in the following edition and made it to the playoffs. However, he failed to create the same magic during his stint for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) from 2011 to 2013. Overall, the legendary cricketer captained in 74 IPL games and led his team to 35 wins.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/its-like-he-is-playing-against-his-own-team-harbhajan-singh-reflects-on-david-warners-performance-against-mi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Warner</a> has been a giant of a player in the Indian Premier League. He has annihilated batters with his marauding bat and stamped his authority on the cricket field. The southpaw has featured in 167 matches and accumulated 6109 runs at a strike rate of 139.63.&nbsp;

Further, Warner has been a brilliant reader of the game and led his side to many epic triumphs. Sunrisers Hyderabad appointed the flamboyant batter as their leader of the troops in 2015. Though SRH was not able to thrive in Warner’s debut season as captain, the Hyderabad franchise did wonders in the following edition.

Warner led-Hyderabad side defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final showdown of the ninth IPL edition and grabbed the silverware for the first time. Moreover, under David's leadership, Sunrisers qualified for the knockout stages in the 2017 and 2020 seasons of the cash-rich league.

Australia has produced many match-winners but there have only been a few of the caliber of Shane Warne. He bamboozled batters with his variations and made world cricket his happy hunting ground. The legendary cricketer also set the IPL on fire with his stunning bowling displays and tormented batters with his guile.

Warne featured in 55 matches in the T20 carnival and picked up 57 wickets at an economy of 7.27. Moreover, he was also an inspirational captain and did a remarkable job in the IPL arena.

Shane was made the commander-in-chief of a young <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/rr-rajasthan-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Royals</a> side in the inaugural season of the IPL. Unlike most of the IPL franchise, RR were not studded with international quality players and thus, they seemed quite weak on paper. But what followed was simply remarkable.

Warne transformed the young bunch of cricketers into match-winners and made Rajasthan a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, RR went on to create history by clinching the IPL title.&nbsp;The Australian legend was the skipper of the Rajasthan team till 2011 and he piloted the team to 30 wins in 55 games.

Captaining a side is arguably one of the toughest gigs in cricket. When a team is on a winning spree, the captain is the hero but when the side is performing poorly, the same hero is subjected to tons of criticism. A good captain cuts down the outside noise and brings the best out of the team.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League (IPL)</a> has also witnessed many players being handed the leadership duties of a franchise but not everyone has been able to thrive in the role. MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir are a few of the most successful captains to have graced the marquee tournament. Barring these Indian captains, there have been certain overseas players who have left the cricket fraternity in awe of their exceptional captaincy skills.
<h3>Here are the five best overseas captains in IPL history</h3>
<h3>5. Kane Williamson&nbsp;</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1668527918731_Kane-Williamson.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Kane Williamson is one of the finest batters New Zealand cricket has produced. He has put up an exhibition of his glorious strokeplay and piled on runs for fun. Also, the Tauranga-born has shown his captaincy credentials in both the international circuit and the lucrative T20 tournament.
Talking about the IPL, Williamson has featured in 77 games and amassed 2101 runs at a strike rate of 126.03. He was handed the reins of<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/srh-sunrisers-hyderabad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sunrisers Hyderabad</a> in 2018 when David Warner was banned from the tournament due to his involvement in the sandpaper-gate scandal and the Kiwi batter played the role to perfection.
Willaimson led from the front and amassed an insane tally of 735 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 142.44. He was spot-on with his tactics and guided SRH to the summit clash. Again, under Williamson’s leadership, the Hyderabad franchise reached the playoffs in 2019.

<h3>4. Steve Smith</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1680153852476_MSD-and-Steve-Smith-RPS.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ipl-2023-steve-smith-picks-his-top-four-teams-ahead-of-upcoming-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Smith</a> has been a bankable name in the lucrative T20 tournament. He has featured in 103 IPL matches and notched up 2485 runs at a strike rate of 128.09. At times, the 33-year-old has been entrusted to lead the team in the marquee event and he has played the role superbly.
In the 2015 season of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals handed the leadership duties of the side to Smith in the early stages of the tournament when designated skipper Shane Watson was out injured and the Sydney-born marshaled the team to four consecutive victories. Later in the competition, Steve was made the designated captain of the Rajasthan side and he led the team to the playoffs.
In 2017, Smith was tasked to captain Rising Pune Supergiant and the ace batter thrived in the role. With Steve at the helm, Pune played some sensational cricket and made it to the finals of the T20 extravaganza. Overall, he has led an IPL side on 43 occasions and did a good job, piloting the team to 25 wins.

<h3>3. Adam Gilchrist&nbsp;</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Adam-Gilchrist-Deccan-Chargers.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/a-case-of-mistaken-identity-gilchrist-on-report-of-him-being-richest-cricketer-with-3140-crore-net-worth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Gilchrist</a> was a superstar of the game. During his playing days, he was a game-changer with the bat for Australia and was also lightning-quick behind the stumps. The Bellingen-born displayed his batting prowess in the IPL arena too and dismantled bowling attacks for fun.
Gilchrist has featured in 80 IPL games and collected 2069 runs at a strike rate of 138.39. Besides his batting exploits, he showed his might as a leader plenty of times. With the former wicketkeeper-batter at the helm, Deccan Chargers wrote their names in history books by winning the 2009 season of the marquee tournament.
Gilchrist &amp; Co. also played some exciting brand of cricket in the following edition and made it to the playoffs. However, he failed to create the same magic during his stint for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) from 2011 to 2013. Overall, the legendary cricketer captained in 74 IPL games and led his team to 35 wins.

<h3>2. David Warner&nbsp;</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1679568181833_David-Warner.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/its-like-he-is-playing-against-his-own-team-harbhajan-singh-reflects-on-david-warners-performance-against-mi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Warner</a> has been a giant of a player in the Indian Premier League. He has annihilated batters with his marauding bat and stamped his authority on the cricket field. The southpaw has featured in 167 matches and accumulated 6109 runs at a strike rate of 139.63.&nbsp;
Further, Warner has been a brilliant reader of the game and led his side to many epic triumphs. Sunrisers Hyderabad appointed the flamboyant batter as their leader of the troops in 2015. Though SRH was not able to thrive in Warner’s debut season as captain, the Hyderabad franchise did wonders in the following edition.
Warner led-Hyderabad side defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final showdown of the ninth IPL edition and grabbed the silverware for the first time. Moreover, under David's leadership, Sunrisers qualified for the knockout stages in the 2017 and 2020 seasons of the cash-rich league.

<h3>1. Shane Warne</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1679568028323_Shane-Warne.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Australia has produced many match-winners but there have only been a few of the caliber of Shane Warne. He bamboozled batters with his variations and made world cricket his happy hunting ground. The legendary cricketer also set the IPL on fire with his stunning bowling displays and tormented batters with his guile.
Warne featured in 55 matches in the T20 carnival and picked up 57 wickets at an economy of 7.27. Moreover, he was also an inspirational captain and did a remarkable job in the IPL arena.
Shane was made the commander-in-chief of a young <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/rr-rajasthan-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Royals</a> side in the inaugural season of the IPL. Unlike most of the IPL franchise, RR were not studded with international quality players and thus, they seemed quite weak on paper. But what followed was simply remarkable.
Warne transformed the young bunch of cricketers into match-winners and made Rajasthan a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, RR went on to create history by clinching the IPL title.&nbsp;The Australian legend was the skipper of the Rajasthan team till 2011 and he piloted the team to 30 wins in 55 games.

Captaining a side is arguably one of the toughest gigs in cricket. When a team is on a winning spree, the captain is the hero but when the side is performing poorly, the same hero is subjected to tons of criticism. A good captain cuts down the outside noise and brings the best out of the team.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League (IPL)</a> has also witnessed many players being handed the leadership duties of a franchise but not everyone has been able to thrive in the role. MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir are a few of the most successful captains to have graced the marquee tournament. Barring these Indian captains, there have been certain overseas players who have left the cricket fraternity in awe of their exceptional captaincy skills.
<h3>Here are the five best overseas captains in IPL history</h3>
<h3>5. Kane Williamson&nbsp;</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1668527918731_Kane-Williamson.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Kane Williamson is one of the finest batters New Zealand cricket has produced. He has put up an exhibition of his glorious strokeplay and piled on runs for fun. Also, the Tauranga-born has shown his captaincy credentials in both the international circuit and the lucrative T20 tournament.
Talking about the IPL, Williamson has featured in 77 games and amassed 2101 runs at a strike rate of 126.03. He was handed the reins of<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/srh-sunrisers-hyderabad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sunrisers Hyderabad</a> in 2018 when David Warner was banned from the tournament due to his involvement in the sandpaper-gate scandal and the Kiwi batter played the role to perfection.
Willaimson led from the front and amassed an insane tally of 735 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 142.44. He was spot-on with his tactics and guided SRH to the summit clash. Again, under Williamson’s leadership, the Hyderabad franchise reached the playoffs in 2019.

<h3>4. Steve Smith</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1680153852476_MSD-and-Steve-Smith-RPS.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ipl-2023-steve-smith-picks-his-top-four-teams-ahead-of-upcoming-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Smith</a> has been a bankable name in the lucrative T20 tournament. He has featured in 103 IPL matches and notched up 2485 runs at a strike rate of 128.09. At times, the 33-year-old has been entrusted to lead the team in the marquee event and he has played the role superbly.
In the 2015 season of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals handed the leadership duties of the side to Smith in the early stages of the tournament when designated skipper Shane Watson was out injured and the Sydney-born marshaled the team to four consecutive victories. Later in the competition, Steve was made the designated captain of the Rajasthan side and he led the team to the playoffs.
In 2017, Smith was tasked to captain Rising Pune Supergiant and the ace batter thrived in the role. With Steve at the helm, Pune played some sensational cricket and made it to the finals of the T20 extravaganza. Overall, he has led an IPL side on 43 occasions and did a good job, piloting the team to 25 wins.

<h3>3. Adam Gilchrist&nbsp;</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Adam-Gilchrist-Deccan-Chargers.jpg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/a-case-of-mistaken-identity-gilchrist-on-report-of-him-being-richest-cricketer-with-3140-crore-net-worth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Gilchrist</a> was a superstar of the game. During his playing days, he was a game-changer with the bat for Australia and was also lightning-quick behind the stumps. The Bellingen-born displayed his batting prowess in the IPL arena too and dismantled bowling attacks for fun.
Gilchrist has featured in 80 IPL games and collected 2069 runs at a strike rate of 138.39. Besides his batting exploits, he showed his might as a leader plenty of times. With the former wicketkeeper-batter at the helm, Deccan Chargers wrote their names in history books by winning the 2009 season of the marquee tournament.
Gilchrist &amp; Co. also played some exciting brand of cricket in the following edition and made it to the playoffs. However, he failed to create the same magic during his stint for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) from 2011 to 2013. Overall, the legendary cricketer captained in 74 IPL games and led his team to 35 wins.

<h3>2. David Warner&nbsp;</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1679568181833_David-Warner.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/its-like-he-is-playing-against-his-own-team-harbhajan-singh-reflects-on-david-warners-performance-against-mi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Warner</a> has been a giant of a player in the Indian Premier League. He has annihilated batters with his marauding bat and stamped his authority on the cricket field. The southpaw has featured in 167 matches and accumulated 6109 runs at a strike rate of 139.63.&nbsp;
Further, Warner has been a brilliant reader of the game and led his side to many epic triumphs. Sunrisers Hyderabad appointed the flamboyant batter as their leader of the troops in 2015. Though SRH was not able to thrive in Warner’s debut season as captain, the Hyderabad franchise did wonders in the following edition.
Warner led-Hyderabad side defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final showdown of the ninth IPL edition and grabbed the silverware for the first time. Moreover, under David's leadership, Sunrisers qualified for the knockout stages in the 2017 and 2020 seasons of the cash-rich league.

<h3>1. Shane Warne</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1679568028323_Shane-Warne.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Australia has produced many match-winners but there have only been a few of the caliber of Shane Warne. He bamboozled batters with his variations and made world cricket his happy hunting ground. The legendary cricketer also set the IPL on fire with his stunning bowling displays and tormented batters with his guile.
Warne featured in 55 matches in the T20 carnival and picked up 57 wickets at an economy of 7.27. Moreover, he was also an inspirational captain and did a remarkable job in the IPL arena.
Shane was made the commander-in-chief of a young <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/rr-rajasthan-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Royals</a> side in the inaugural season of the IPL. Unlike most of the IPL franchise, RR were not studded with international quality players and thus, they seemed quite weak on paper. But what followed was simply remarkable.
Warne transformed the young bunch of cricketers into match-winners and made Rajasthan a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, RR went on to create history by clinching the IPL title.&nbsp;The Australian legend was the skipper of the Rajasthan team till 2011 and he piloted the team to 30 wins in 55 games.

Captaining a side is arguably one of the toughest gigs in cricket. When a team is on a winning spree, the captain is the hero but when the side is performing poorly, the same hero is subjected to tons

5 Best overseas captains in IPL history

There have been certain overseas players who have left the cricket fraternity in awe of their exceptional captaincy skills in the IPL arena.

IPL: 5 Best overseas captains in T20 League's history

Here we look at the five best overseas captains in IPL history.