5 Players who can lead South-West IPL XI for All Stars game

For the first time ever, an All-Stars’ match set to take place before the 2020 edition of the prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL). The game is scheduled to take centre-stage three days prior to the cash-rich T20 league. The date for the game is yet to be finalized though.

The decision for hosting the contest was taken at the governing council meeting on Monday where Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, was also present. Brijesh Patel, the IPL governing council chairman, was also there. It’s learned that Ganguly and Patel took the decision.

One team will comprise of players from four franchises in the north and east of India- Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It means, chances of the likes of Andre Russell, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, playing together

The second team will have four sides from south and west namely Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI). From this team, there are a number of players, who could go on become the captain of the side.

In the article, let’s take a look at five probable captains of the team in the IPL: –

1. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has captained in every other IPL season, barring in 2017 when he played under Steve Smith for the defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. The Jharkhand-born won the Super Kings as many as three titles. In 2018 when CSK was termed ‘Dad’s Army’ due to the age of their players, Dhoni took them to glory.

Even in 2019, the three-time champions made the finals, though they lost by one run. For 2020, Dhoni’s men didn’t resort to a whole lot of changes either. The veteran also has a couple of Champions League title under his belt.

Dhoni hasn’t played any cricket since the 2019 World Cup semis. But he has been touted to shine in the IPL even after the layoff, such has been his class. Dhoni seems to have the magic wand in hand, working wonders whenever he takes mantle of any unit.

2. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli’s captaincy numbers for India have flourished with the passage of time. However, his IPL career has hit a wall as far as captaincy is concerned. In almost every season, RCB find themselves at the bottom half of the points table.

As the league progresses, the Challengers do get back to winning ways, but by then, it’s either curtains for them or they are chasing the improbable, rather helplessly. Kohli has racked up runs for them at will, but the team finds way to hand the opponents the ascendancy.

Thereafter, Kohli walks up the presentation position, wearing a smile of grimace, trying to decipher the reasons behind the losses. Nevertheless, despite his meek numbers in the IPL, Kohli’s figures for Team India speak volume about his abilities. The 31-year-old can be one of the options.

3. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma’s numbers in the IPL speak for themselves. The right-hander has won the Mumbai team as many as four titles in the last seven seasons. Ever since took Rohit took over from Ricky Ponting, MI fortunes in the T20 championship has taken a U-turn.

Though the team hasn’t won back-to-back titles, with Rohit at the helm, MI are being deemed as one of the favourites in the IPL 2020. The confidence has rubbed off positively on him while leading the Men in Blue as well.

Rohit can be a tad inconsistent at times in batting, but he knows the art of making comebacks. Hence, oppositions don’t write off even an out-of-form Rohit Sharma, who can strike form at any time. Rohit hasn’t minded even sacrificing his most-favoured opening slot for the greater good of the franchise.

4. Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson didn’t come to the limelight in the IPL until 2018 when he was appointed as the captain. David Warner’s suspension due to the ball-tampering scandal gave the New Zealander a chance to show his mettle. And he passed with flying colours. The Sunrisers roared to the finals against CSK at the Wankhede Stadium.

Though they lost, SRH was cheered for their spirited show. In that season, the Tauranga-born turned out to be an epitome of consistency. Captain Kane scored 735 runs with eight fifties, bagging the Orange Cap.

In the next season, he didn’t get a lot of chances, but he had already become a crucial member of their setup. Williamson has displayed his class and calibre for the Kiwis as well. He might not have the glitz and glamour, but he is mightily effective.

5. David Warner

David Warner can be considered as one of the most consistent batters in the IPL. In fact, winning the Orange Cap has invariably become bread and butter for the Australian left-handed batsman. From 2015, the southpaw has become the leading run-scorer in three out of four seasons.

In 2016, Warner also captained the Sunrisers to their maiden IPL title, beating RCB by a mere eight runs in the final. He wasn’t a part of the IPL in 2018 due to the tampering controversy. It didn’t fluster him though. In 2019, he notched 692 runs at a stunning average of 69.20.

En route his journey, Warner scored eight fifties and a century versus the Challengers. Warner is someone, who is vocal and never shies away from opining on certain matters. He seems to have the capabilities to captain the All-Stars team.