Captaincy is a huge thing in any team sport. The captain is considered the most responsible man of the team and he has to make all the game plans and strategies for his side. Cricket also has a crucial place for captain and over the years, players like Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Smith, MS Dhoni, Clive Lloyd, and several other leaders have defined the true meaning of captaincy in cricket.
Usually, fans have seen that the captaincy of a team is assigned to the team’s best batsman. However, there have been six instances in IPL when an Indian bowler got the reins of the team.
1.Bhuvneshwar Kumar – Sunrisers Hyderabad
Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first few matches of IPL 2019 as Kane Williamson was nursing an injury. David Warner was still not allowed to join the leadership group.
The Orange Army pulled off a bold move by assigning the leadership duties to Kumar. However, he could not perform well as a leader as SRH won only 2 of the 6 matches under his leadership.
2.Ravichandran Ashwin – Kings XI Punjab
Ravichandran Ashwin is regarded by many as one of the smartest minds in cricket right now. He has perfect understanding of the game and KXIP needed his wit in 2018 and 2019.
Ashwin was appointed as the captain by the Mohali-based franchise, but he could not do an impressive job consistently. Out of 28 matches, KXIP could only win 12 under Ashwin’s captaincy.
3.Zaheer Khan – Delhi Daredevils
Zaheer Khan was one of the key reasons behind India’s success in the ICC World Cup 2011. He was the joint highest wicket taker of the tourney, but injuries derailed his career after that competition.
Khan lost his place in the Indian team, but he continued playing in the IPL. Delhi signed him in the auction and named him as their captain 2016. The left-arm quick helped Delhi 10 out of 23 matches in his reign.
4.Harbhajan Singh – Mumbai Indians
Known for his Punjabi attitude, Harbhajan Singh led the Mumbai Indians in their first match of IPL. He was one of the most senior players of the team and Mumbai named him as captain in absence of Sachin Tendulkar.
Harbhajan captained Mumbai in 20 matches from 2008 to 2012. He had a win percentage of 50, winning 10 and losing 10 matches. Singh is a part of CSK now.
5.Anil Kumble – Royal Challengers Bangalore
One of the most successful bowling captains in IPL history, Anil Kumble guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to the runner-up position and third place in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
He had captained India in Tests and he brought all his experience to the fore, winning 15 out of 26 matches as a captain. Kumble will serve as the head coach of KXIP in IPL 2020.
