When toss is the boss: Unfortunate captains in IPL history

If the pitch conditions are excellent for bowling up first, a team can gain an advantage by winning the toss and being elected to bowl first. Although the team's on-field performance matters a lot, and winning alone cannot help win the match, the toss is essential. Let us look at the captains in the history of the Indian Premier League who have lost the maximum number of tosses in a season.

Sanju Samson- 13 (2022)

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson turned out to be the captain with the most toss losses in IPL after losing the toss in the first IPL 2022 qualifier against Gujarat. Ahead of the 2021 auction, Samson was named the Royals skipper after Steve Smith's release. Although he did not have an excellent record as captain in 2021, Samson led the side again in IPL 2022, where the Royals won 9, lost 5 in 14 league stage matches, and finished in the second place in the points table. In IPL, Samson has captained 29 games, out of which he won 14. The current RR skipper has a win percentage of 48.17% in IPL. Although the wicketkeeper batters had a hard-luck with the coin toss, he is brilliantly leading his franchise in the fifteenth edition of the league this season, and the team will look forward to their second IPL title.

MS Dhoni- 12 (2012)

Considered one of the most successful IPL captains, the CSK skipper MS Dhoni holds second place on the list. In the 2012 edition of IPL, MS Dhoni lost the toss several times, 12 times, second-most by any skipper in the league. Despite losing the tosses 12 times, MSD's yellow army finished at number 4 in the points table. CSK won 8 out of the 16 matches in that season while losing 7. Although the team didn't have a stroke of incredible luck with tosses in the season, the team ended up being the runner ups for the 2012 edition. It clearly defines Dhoni's mastery in the captaincy and that his results do not depend on the toss.

MS Dhoni- 11 (2008)

In the first edition of the Indian Premier League, luck didn't favour the CSK skipper MS Dhoni much as he lost 11 tosses. MS Dhoni was named the captain of the South India-based franchise in the league's inaugural season and is still captaining the same franchise. In the 2008 season, CSK ended up on number three despite losing many tosses. As Dhoni believes more in performance than luck, he proved this by becoming the runner-up for the 2008 edition even after not having the tosses by their side. Till now, MS Dhoni has captained CSK in 204 matches, out of which the team turned out to be victorious in 121 games. The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has a win percentage of 59.60%, which is the highest amongst the captains in league history.

Virat Kohli- 11 (2013)

The former RCB skipper Virat Kohli and his poor luck are not new for any cricket fan. Despite being one of the strongest contenders in the league, the team is yet to lift its maiden trophy. In the 2013 edition of the league, Virat added his name to this list of unwanted records of most toss losses. In that season, Kohli lost 11 tosses out of 16, clearly defining Virat's bad luck for the season. In the 16 matches the team played that season, RCB won 9, lost seven, and eventually ended up on number 5. The former RCB skipper has captained the franchise in 140 matches, out of which they won 66 while losing 74. He has a win percentage of 47.16% in the league and is one of the best batters we have witnessed.