This article lists players who have captained the Kilkenny county hurling team in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The captain is chosen from the club that has won the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship.
Henry Shefflin is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the current manager of the Galway senior hurling team. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because of his directive style, dominance, competitive spirit, and leadership on the field. He is the only player to win 'hurler of the year' three times, in 2002, 2006, and 2012. Cian Lynch is the only other player to win the title more than once, winning it in 2018 and 2021. He is widely regarded as the best player in the history of the game. A versatile forward who started out in the corner, Shefflin made his name in more commanding positions as a centre or full-forward. He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all time.
Martin Timothy Comerford is an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.
Brian Cody is an Irish former hurling manager and player and retired school principal. He managed the senior Kilkenny county team between 1998 and 2022, becoming the county's longest-serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won. Cody is regarded as the greatest manager in the history of the game.
Ger Fennelly is an Irish retired hurler who played as a centre-forward and as a midfielder for the Kilkenny senior team.
Michael Fennelly is an Irish hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kilkenny county team lasted twelve seasons from 2006 until 2017. He managed the Offaly senior hurling team between 2019 and 2022.
Ballyhale Shamrocks is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parish of Ballyhale in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. The club was founded in 1972 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. Ballyhale Shamrocks are the most successful club in the history of the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship with nine titles.
Michael John Kavanagh is an Irish former hurler who played as a right corner-back at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Thomas Joseph Reid, known as T. J. Reid, is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a centre-forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
James "Cha" Fitzpatrick is an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Kilkenny senior team.
Richard "Richie" Power is an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Seán Fennelly is an Irish former hurler who played with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1986 until 1989.
The 2010 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 113th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 2010 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 5 September 2010 and was a repeat of the 2009 final with Kilkenny taking on Tipperary. Kilkenny were attempting to win a fifth All-Ireland title in-a-row, a feat never achieved in either hurling or Gaelic football. This has been referred to as the "Drive for Five". The game was watched by more than 80,000 in the stadium as well as a global audience on TV, radio, etc. The Final attracted the highest ever Irish viewership for an All Ireland Hurling Final peaking at 1.236 million viewers in the final minutes of the match, with an average audience of over one million people during the game which was shown live on RTÉ2. The match was won by Tipperary by a score of 4–17 to 1–18.
The 2011 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final took place in Croke Park, Dublin on Sunday, 4 September 2011. The final was contested by Kilkenny and defending champions, Tipperary. Kilkenny were playing in their sixth final in a row, while the pairing of Kilkenny and Tipperary was the first ever time that the same two teams have played in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final for three years in a row. Kilkenny won their fifth title in six years after a four-point win against Tipperary, avenging their 2010 defeat. The final which was shown live in Ireland on RTÉ2 attracted the second highest ever viewership for an All Ireland Hurling Final, peaking at 1.1 million viewers in the final minutes. An average audience of 971,000 viewers tuned into the game overall.
Colin Fennelly is an Irish hurler who plays as a forward for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks. He is a former captain of the Kilkenny senior hurling team.
Joseph Holden is an Irish hurler who plays as a full-back for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks. He is a former captain of the Kilkenny senior hurling team.
Richard Reid is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out at midfield, and was nominated to become captain of the Kilkenny Senior hurlers for the 2022 season.
The 2007 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final was a hurling match played at Croke Park on 17 March 2007 to determine the winners of the 2006–07 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, the 37th season of the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion clubs of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Ballyhale Shamrocks of Kilkenny and Loughrea of Galway, with Ballyhale Shamrocks winning by 3-12 to 2-8.
Adrian Mullen is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a right wing-forward.
Evan Shefflin is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny under-21 hurling team. He usually lines out as a midfielder. He is a nephew of Henry Shefflin.
Eoin Cody is a hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a centre-forward.