Faf du Plessis entered into the record book of the Indian Premier League as soon as he entered into the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians on May 21 as the captain of Delhi Capitals. The former South Africa international, at the age of 40 years and 312 days, did his captain's job for the IPL team and became one of the oldest players to lead a team in an Indian Premier League match. Through this article we'll explore the five oldest captains to ever step into the field in the history of the cash-rich league so far. 

List of oldest captains in the history of IPL:

• MS Dhoni 

Ruturaj Gaikwad's season-ending injury caused MS Dhoni to make a comeback as captain of Chennai Super Kings at the age of 43 years and 278 days; thus, he became the oldest cricketer to lead a team in the tournament. In 2022, Dhoni stepped down from his CSK captaincy role and offered Ravindra Jadeja the position. Later, after a spell of poor performance, Dhoni again put on the captain's armband. In 2023, he guided the Super Kings to their 5th IPL title. 

• Shane Warne

Before MS Dhoni, it was legendary Shane Warne who held the record as the most senior player to lead a team. Warne was the skipper of Rajasthan Royals until the age of 41 years and 249 days. Under his guidance, Royals won the inaugural edition of the IPL, and till today, that's remained their major success of the tournament. With a bunch of underrated and young players, Warne guided the team to glory. He was also the only full-time non-Indian captain in the IPL that season.

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• Adam Gilchrist

Another Australian legend is on the list, this time Adam Gilchrist. At 41 years and 185 days of age, the wicketkeeper-batter registered his name. The history notes with Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings). Over the years, Punjab Kings had multiple captains, but Gilchrist was one of the most popular among them till today, though he didn't guide the team to glory. He led the team in 34 games, winning 17 and losing 17.

• Faf du Plessis 

Now, here comes Faf du Plessis. Axar Patel, the regular skipper of Delhi Capitals, was 'really sick' and did not participate in the match against Mumbai Indians. The South African, normally assigned as the vice captain of the team, got the opportunity to lead the team from the front at the age of 40 years and 312 days. He also became the first player to captain the Delhi-based franchise after turning 40. 

• Rahul Dravid 

Many wouldn't have expected Rahul Dravid to appear in the list. Dravid and the Rajasthan Royals have had a long relationship since 2011. 'The Wall' was an integral part for the team from the 2011 to the 2013 season. In IPL 2013, Rajasthan was up against Mumbai in Qualifier 2, and Dravid was then the captain of the Royals at the age of 40 years and 133 days. That night Mumbai won the match, and for Dravid, it was his last IPL appearance as a player; now he is the head coach of Rajasthan Royals after a successful stint as the head coach of team India.