Captaincy in the Indian Premier League is not necessarily the same ball game as captaincy in international cricket. We have seen many legendary international skippers who have led their nations to glories struggle in this competition. The likes of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting have struggled as a skipper in IPL. Indian skipper Virat Kohli has also had a tough time as a captain.
On the other hand, people with no international captaincy experience like Rohit Sharma have proven to be successful skipper in IPL. Normally, the teams who have used lesser captains over the years have been more successful, but there are exceptions. Let us have a look at the total number of captains used by each IPL team:
1.Kings XI Punjab – 11
Kings XI Punjab have never had a settled lineup which has represented them for a long span. Much like their squad, their captains have also changed loads of time. Like the number in their name, they have used eleven captains so far. Australians Adam Gilchrist, George Bailey, David Hussey and Glenn Maxwell have been their skippers. The rest of the lot are – Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Ravichandran Ashwin, David Miller and Murali Vijay. In the upcoming season, KL Rahul will lead the side.
2. Delhi Capitals – 11
Delhi Capitals are tied with KXIP, both in terms of captains and titles won. They have also used 11 skippers. Sehwag and Jayawardene are common in both the lists. The rest are – Shreyas Iyer, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Jean Paul Duminy, Kevin Pieter, Dinesh Karthik, James Hopes, Karun Nair and current Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner.
3.Mumbai Indians – 7
Mumbai Indians are the only exception to the theory that lesser captains mean that the team is successful. However, much of their success is recent, and mkuch of their captaincy changes are from the pre-domination era. They have used 7 captains, including legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. The rest are – Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Shaun Pollock, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.
4.Sunrisers Hyderabad – 7
Much like MI, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been successful under their recent skipper, but have changed their leader a lot prior to it. They also have used 7 skippers in total so far. Their current skipper is Australian David Warner. Besides him, Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Darren Sammy have led the sides.
5.Royal Challengers Bangalore – 7
Over the years, Royal Challengers Bangalore have had skippers who were very successful in international cricket, like Daniel Vettori and Anil Kumble. Besides those two, they have used other 4 captains. They are – Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pietersen and Shane Watson. None have been successful so far.
6.Rajasthan Royals – 5
The inaugural champions of the competition have fielder 5 skippers so far. Shane Warne has been the most successful so far. Fellow Australians Steve Smith and Shane Watson have also been their leaders. The other two are Indian skippers in Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane.
7. Kolkata Knight Riders – 4
Two-time winners of IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders changed their captains often in the early years, but have been very settled once Gautam Gambhir anchored the ship. They have used 4 captains so far. Sourav Ganguly was their first skipper, while Brendon McCullum took charge after him. Then came the Gambhir era, while the team is now captained by Dinesh Karthik.
8.Chennai Super Kings – 2
Chennai Super Kings believe that consistency is the key to success. The three-time champions have neither changed their squads a lot, nor their captains. Their first ever skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still their leader after 13 years since the inaugural edition. Besides him, Suresh Raina has also captained the side for a short while.
