IPL has helped Indian cricket grow by leaps and bounds. The Indian cricket team has so many options available in every department, including captaincy these days. Since the Indian players lead a majority of the IPL franchises, the ones who are not leading the Indian team get a chance to showcase their leadership skills.
Hardik Pandya is the best example of how the leadership skill can bring the best out of an individual. He led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 Championship and led India to a 2-0 series win against the Ireland cricket team this year.
However, not every skipper who achieved success in IPL got a chance to lead India. Here’s a list of five players who led their franchises to playoffs but never led India or are yet to get leadership chance.
1. Yuvraj Singh – IPL 2008
Yuvraj Singh was the first captain of the Punjab Kings team. In 2008, Punjab made it to the semifinals under the captaincy of Singh. While they could not make it to playoffs again under him, Singh ended with a decent record as captain.
2. Harbhajan Singh – IPL 2012
In 2012, Harbhajan Singh led the Mumbai Indians to a Top 4 finish on the points table. However, MI lost the Eliminator match to CSK and crashed out of the tournament. Like Yuvraj, Harbhajan never got an opportunity to lead India.
3. Sanju Samson – IPL 2022
Sanju Samson became the second captain after Shane Warne to guide the Rajasthan Royals to the final. While RR lost to GT, Samson showed that he has good leadership skills and can get the best out of the individuals.
4. Shreyas Iyer – 2019 and 2020
Shreyas Iyer is another current Indian cricketer who led his franchise to the final but is yet to captain India. He led DC to IPL 2020 Final. Recently, he was the vice-captain for the series against West Indies.
5. Dinesh Karthik – 2018
In 2018, Dinesh Karthik led KKR to a Top 4 finish. He captained India in a practice match this year, but he is yet to do it in an international game.
