The IPL 2022, which is the 15th edition of the tournament, is set to commence on March 26. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on last season’s runner-ups Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game. 70 league matches will be played across four stadiums in Mumbai and Pune.
Captaincy is as ever the most important aspect, especially in T20 cricket; we saw last season how the leadership of MS Dhoni and Eoin Morgan helped their teams reach the final despite not being at their best with the bat.
Today, we look at the oldest to the youngest of the 10 captains in IPL 2022:
MS Dhoni – 40 years
MS Dhoni will be the oldest captain and player to play in the IPL 2022 aged 40 years and over. Even though Dhoni hasn’t been liting up the tournament with his batting over the last two seasons, he has been at CSK’s forefront with his captaincy, and his experience remains invaluable.
Faf du Plessis-37 years
Faf du Plessis was bought for 7 crore by RCB in the mega-auction and has now been appointed their captain for IPL 2022. The 37-year-old South African is a proven leader and has been in great form in franchise leagues over the past year; he was the second-highest run-scorer last IPL season, contributing significantly to CSK’s title win.
Rohit Sharma-34 years
Winning 5 IPL titles for Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma is the most succesful captain in the IPL. At the age of 34, Rohit has also been named as India’s all-format skipper. Sharma, who will turn 35 mid-season on April 30th, will be aiming for a sixth IPL title with MI.
Kane Williamson-31 years
Kane Williamson, who had led SRH to the IPL 2018 final, replaced David Warner as SRH’s skipper mid-season last year and has been retained by the franchise. The New Zealand skipper is 31 years of age.
Mayank Agarwal-31 years
Mayank Agarwal, 31, has been given captaincy reins full-time for the first time in the IPL. The new Punjab Kings captain replaces his good friend KL Rahul, who has now gone to Lucknow. Agarwal has been in fine form in the IPL over the past couple of seasons and for India in Tests.
KL Rahul-29 years
India’s limited-overs vice-captain, KL Rahul is touted to lead India full-time as well one day. Now, moving on from Punjab Kings, 29-year-old Rahul was roped in for a record sum of 17 crore by Lucknow Super Giants. Rahul will turn 30 mid-season on April 18.
Hardik Pandya-28
Hardik Pandya will lead an IPL franchise for the first time as the skipper of the new franchise Gujarat Titans. Pandya, 28, has been away from the Indian team since the T20 World Cup last year as he continues to focus on his fitness. With the IPL 2022, Pandya will stake a claim for his return to the national side, proving his form and fitness.
Sanju Samson-27
27-year-old Sanju Samson will captain Rajasthan Royals for the second consecutive season in the IPL, after RR finished in the bottom half of the table last season. Samson, still considered a bright prospect for the Indian team, is running out of time to cement his place in the blue India colors.
Shreyas Iyer-27
After releasing Eoin Morgan, Kolkata Knight Riders went all out for 27-year-old Shreyas Iyer in the mega-auction and bought him for 12.25 crore. It was always clear that Shreyas would be their new skipper the moment they gained his services. Iyer has been in superb form for India across formats and KKR would be hoping for their new leader to continue it in the IPL.
Rishabh Pant-24
Delhi Capitals chose Rishabh Pant over Shreyas Iyer as their captain going forward after which the latter asked to be released. The 24-year-old Pant has cemented his spot in India’s eleven across formats and is also considered to lead the country sometime in the future.
