Team India has been fortunate to have talented cricketers across generations. Especially in the 80s, after winning the World Cup, Indian cricket had gotten a good following. Hence, we have imagined a situation wherein the Indian Premier League would have started in that era. On that note, in this article, we take a look at the likely captains of the eight franchises if IPL had begun in the 1980s.
If we look back, before Season 1 started, IPL had the “Icon Player” concept which allowed franchises to pick one player from the city or state that the team was based out of. This was mainly to attract the local fanbase. We assume a similar thing would have occurred if IPL had begun early, as well.
Chennai Super Kings – Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Chennai Super Kings is one of the franchises that did not pick an “Icon Player” for IPL 2008. However, had it been 20-30 years earlier, they would have had an automatic pick. Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who has also led Team India, would be a fine choice at the top of the order for CSK. Also, considering he is from Tamil Nadu, the home fans would have also been excited.
Delhi Capitals – Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev was the captain when India won the World Cup in 1983. Apart from being a top skipper, Kapil was also an elite all-rounder. He would have been a blockbuster hit had he got a chance to play T20 cricket. Although he hails from Haryana, we feel that Kapil Dev might have captained the Delhi Capitals.
Mumbai Indians – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar did not enjoy a great captaincy record for India. However, he is one of the best batters that India has produced. Before Sachin, Sunil was the face of Mumbai Cricket. Hence, there is no chance that other options would have been considered.
Punjab Kings – Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath did not get too many chances to captain Team India. A player who added balance to the XI, Amarnath’s contribution was immense in the 1983 World Cup. He might have been the captain of Punjab Kings if IPL had begun in the 1980s.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Ravi Shastri
Barring Sourav Ganguly, West Bengal has not had many prominent players of that level represent the country, especially in the 80s. Hence, we feel that Ravi Shastri might have captained KKR. Since Ravi’s hometown Mumbai already has Sunil Gavaskar, the former India coach could have picked KKR as his team.
Rajasthan Royals – Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar is also another batsman from Mumbai who enjoyed a good time with Team India. The player also captained the nation. Since the other franchises are occupied, Rajasthan Royals could have used him as their skipper.
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Syed Kirmani
One of the best wicket-keepers of that era, Syed Kirmani was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad. He has not led too many games for India but he would have been a top choice for RCB if IPL had started then.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin made his debut in the year 1985. He led the country for the first time in 1989. Hyderabad is his hometown and Azhar would have surely been backed as the youngster to lead the side.
