IPL 2024: Rating the captains of all 10 teams
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season will get underway on March 22 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore clashing in the opener. As the tournament will witness T20 stalwarts across the globe, several enticing games are on the cards. Meanwhile, captains have a major role to play in T20 cricket. Here we rate the captains of all 10 teams.
CSK - MS Dhoni (9.5/10)
CSK skipper MS Dhoni is certainly among the best captains in cricket history. Owing to the same, CSK have qualified for the playoffs 12 times in the 14 seasons they have played (5 titles). Dhoni has the ability to bring the best out of players. However, unlike the last few seasons, he would want to contribute more with the bat this time.
RCB - Faf du Plessis- (7.5/10)
Faf du Plessis has fared brilliantly as the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role. He led RCB from the front and powered them to playoffs in this maiden season with the franchise, in 2022. RCB narrowly missed out on the top-four finish last year. Overall, du Plessis has led RCB to 14 wins in 27 games so far.
MI - Hardik Pandya (8/10)
It will be a new era at Mumbai Indians with Hardik Pandya being the helm of the affairs. He will fill the big boots of Rohit Sharma. Nevertheless, Hardik has also proven his leadership credentials, having led Gujarat Titans to glory in 2022. The Pandya-led GT finished second last year. Pandya's personal numbers have also gone up while leading in IPL.
RR - Sanju Samson (6.5/10)
Though Sanju Samson's batting numbers have been impressive after becoming the Rajasthan Royals skipper in 2021, the team could not qualify for playoffs in two of the three seasons under him. RR were the runner-up of the 2022 edition. Overall, Samson has 22 wins and 23 defeats as RR captain. He would want to lead the team with more command in IPL 2024.
LSG - KL Rahul (7/10)
One of the most consistent run-getters in IPL history, KL Rahul powered Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to playoffs in 2022. He missed the second half of the last season due to an injury. Rahul's calmness and composure make him a potent captain as he tends to keep his cool in crunch situations. He has led LSG to 14 wins in 24 games so far.
KKR - Shreyas Iyer (7/10)
Another captain who is known to keep a cool head is Shreyas Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders. He changed Delhi Capitals's fortunes by powering them to playoffs in 2019 and 2020. Though he could not do the same with KKR in 2022, he would be raring to shine in IPL 2024. Iyer has 27 wins and 26 defeats as a captain in IPL.
DC - Rishabh Pant (6/10)
DC's Rishabh Pant's challenge will be sterner than the other skippers as he has been away from professional cricket for over 14 months now. Nevertheless, he guided the Capitals to playoffs in 2021. The side narrowly missed out on the top-four finish in 2022. Pant would want to contribute significantly with his fiery batting. He has led DC to 16 wins in 30 games.
PBKS - Shikhar Dhawan (5.5/10)
Shikhar Dhawan, who will lead Punjab Kings, has also not played a professional match since IPL 2023. He would aim for a resounding comeback. Meanwhile, Dhawan's captaincy record in IPL is not too stellar as he owns just eight wins in 22 games. He will have the onus to lead from the front and bring the best out of his players.
SRH - Pat Cummins (7.5/10)
Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. Though Cummins has proven his leadership credentials in Tests and ODIs, he is yet to lead in T20 cricket, as per ESPNcricinfo. Cummins will aim to lead SRH from the front. Not to forget, he can also contribute significantly with the bat besides making the ball talk.
GT - Shubman Gill (5/10)
Hailed as the future skipper of the Indian team, Shubman Gill will lead GT in the upcoming season. The youngster, who has emerged as a run machine in white-ball cricket, has captained just two T20 games so far. Besides leading from the front, he has the onus of managing big guns like David Miller and Rashid Khan.
