IPL has always been a blend of experience and young blood that at times have culminated into explosive upshots, taking the world by awe.
Talking about IPL, we mostly spark debates about youngsters who craft incredulous performances or even big names of the sport who flip things around magically with absolutely herculean outings.
Similarly, if there is one brand of cricketers that we do not ardently rave about, it is captains of the sport. The captains play a monumental role in shaping the teams and bring them together against impossible situations, colossal opponents and other exterior factors that impinge a team both on and off the field.
It is quite fortunate for a cricketer to lead a franchise, however, there have been a few cricketers in the glittering antiquity of IPL, who have led not one but two teams in India’s domestic extravaganza.
1. MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Super Giants
MS Dhoni has been one of the most successful captains in the Indian Premier League. Under his leadership, Chennai has been a part of every single play-off until this year when the Yellow Army became the first team to be ousted of IPL.
Much to the dismay of Chennai Super Kings, they were given a temporary suspension in 2015, when Gujrat Lions and Rising Pune Super Giants replaced the team. Dhoni was bagged by Rising Pune Super Giants and in the very first edition of the fray, he was awarded the captaincy of the team.
2. Suresh Raina – Chennai Super Kings and Gujrat Lions
Suresh Raina is synonymous with IPL and Chennai Super Kings. He was the vice-captain of the Yellow Army and led his team in absence of Dhoni.
When Chennai was suspended, Raina was handed over the captaincy of the newly found team, Gujrat Lions. He proved to be an elite cricketer for the side and led the contingency from the very front.
3. Gautam Gambhir – Kolkata Knightriders and Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, was the residence of Gambhir for the initial seasons. He led the contingency for a few games and then returned to the outfit in 2018 as captain.
However, in his time away from Delhi, he was handed over the captaincy of KKR with whom he led an incredible resurgence winning two IPL trophies.
- Virender Sehwag – Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab
The man who sang the bowlers to their doom, Virender Sehwag, one of the most menacing openers of all time, started his IPL campaign, started his campaign as the captain of Delhi Daredevils which was later rechristened as Delhi Capitals.
After Delhi had a whiff of his fleeting taste, Sehwag was axed from the side and was picked up by Kings XI Punjab and in the games that he opened for them, he also led the squad in quite a few matches.
- Rahul Dravid – Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore
Known as the Wall in Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid couldn’t come to grips with T20 cricket and yet he led two contingencies in IPL.
Dravid led Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in IPL and was extremely successful as a skipper. He won 22 out of 48 games as a skipper and also rattled inhibitions about him taking the field in T20 cricket as he played some incredibly breezy knocks.
- Saurav Ganguly – Kolkata Knightriders and Pune Warriors
Saurav led Kolkata Knightriders for three seasons where he found success as an individual in the third season of the tournament. Unfortunately, he was axed from the team post that season which sparked a nationwide furore.
After he was neglected in the auctions, Ganguly was roped in by Pune Warriors as a replacement and he was also handed over the captaincy of the side.
- Ajinkya Rahane – Rising Pune Supergiants and Rajasthan Royals
Ajinkya Rahane has become a crucial part of the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing edition of the tournament. However, before this, he was a leading name in the ranks of Rajasthan Royals and the management entrusted him with the captaincy of the squad.
When Rajasthan Royals got suspended, he was gobbled up by Rising Pune Supergiants and he led the team in the absence of MS Dhoni.
- Dinesh Karthik – Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik had showcased mixed-bag performances throughout IPL as he led the Delhi Capitals side once. There have been seasons that has seen him scoring brilliantly while there have been seasons like the one in progress where he has been plain bad.
However, after he was stripped from the captaincy of Delhi, he was grabbed by KKR and was also handed over the captaincy.
- Yuvraj Singh – Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warrior
Yuvraj Singh was one of the most fascinating names of T20 cricket. He has had start-stop seasons in IPL so far. He captained Kings XI Punjab and played a few stunning knocks. The Southpaw led Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors in the glittering span of his IPL career.
