Five good Indian captains who failed as IPL skippers

Over the years the league has seen many Indian international skippers leading their respective franchise.

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Virat Kohli RCB
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Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)

At the end of the second week of IPL 2019, the teams have already put up some great performances. The fans have witnessed some jaw-dropping, and head-spinning moments from their players. IPL 2019 has lived up to its hype with teams producing close encounters, and gentlemen playing some whirl-winding knocks. Till now most of the franchises have come across speed breakers in their tourney, except RCB who have hit a roadblock in this season.

IPL is one of the toughest tournaments played around the world because of its colossus. Even the international superstars feel the pinch of pressure while playing this league, and from that one can understand the distress of the skipper leading the team. The IPL teams have mostly given the baton of leadership to international captains and experienced players. Over the years the league has seen many Indian international skippers leading their respective franchise, but some of them have a dismal record.

Here are five good Indian captains who failed as IPL skippers :

1) Sourav Ganguly- (KKR, PWI)

Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)

Sourav Ganguly was one of the most decorated skippers in Indian cricket history, as he led the nation nearly 200 times in Tests and ODIs. His track record was second to none with nearly 100 wins. When KKR started its campaign in 2008 their leader was the legendary Indian captain SC Ganguly. Even though the southpaw didn’t have any previous experience of leading a T20 side, the franchise nominated him as their skipper because of his international success and his popularity in Kolkata.

Ganguly captained KKR in two seasons of IPL and both the times the team did not qualify for the playoffs. He was a good leader but his tactics were not working in the shortest format. KKR dropped him after two unsuccessful stints in 2010 but he was roped by the new entrants PWI in the auction. Owing to Yuvraj’s absence in the second season the Pune franchise made Ganguly the skipper of their team but the team finished with a wooden spoon as they won only 4 matches out of 16. In the end, the legend led had a 40% winning rate in 42 matches as captain in his IPL career.

2) Rahul Dravid, (RCB, RR)

Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble with Rahul Dravid (right). (Photo by Ritam Banerjee-IPL 2010/IPL via Getty Images)

Rahul Dravid is one of the most respected cricketers around the world due to his contribution to the game and Indian cricket. The Wall captained the Men in Blue in 104 matches in Tests and ODIs. He was a wise skipper with a good track record and under his captaincy, India won a test series in ENG after 21 years. In their inaugural season, RCB gave the leadership duties to the local boy, Rahul Dravid because of his experience and calm-headed personality.

When Dravid led the Bengaluru based franchise for the first season they finished at the 7th place on the table. He was demoted in the next year and after 2010 he was released by the franchise, where he was picked up by RR in the auction and had a decent season with them. After Warne’s retirement, Dravid was given the mantle of leading the side. In the first year, RR made it to the playoffs but in the following season, they finished at 7th position in the points table. In his captaincy record, he had more losses than wins, unlike his international one.

3) Virender Sehwag, DD

Virender Sehwag Delhi Daredevils
Virender Sehwag Delhi Daredevils. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)

Last decade was the golden period of Indian cricket, and one of the stars of that time has to be Virender Sehwag. The Nawab of Najafgarh was the vice-captain when India won the World Cup in 2011 and won the test mace in 2010. He has also led the nation 16 times in Tests and ODIs with 50% win rate, and his highest score of 219* in 50-overs cricket came against the Windies when he was leading the side. Sehwag was made the skipper by the Delhi franchise in 2008 IPL as Delhi was his hometown.

Sehwag captained the Delhi side which was full of superstars and reached playoffs in its first season. Even in his second stint as captain in IPL 2009, Sehwag with all his experience could not guide the franchise to glory. His win rate was high as captain but he faltered at the wrong times and his tactics were also baffling in crucial matches. Sehwag dropped Glenn McGrath for the semi-final against Deccan Chargers in 2009 IPL. It turned out to be a poor selection from the captain’s side, as they lost the match easily.

4) Virat Kohli, RCB

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The current best batsman in the world is none other than the Indian captain Virat Kohli. From the time Virat won the U19 world cup for India in 2008 the Delhi lad was destined for big things in the game. He has already led India in 135 matches across formats and has an impressive track record with 72% win rate in ODIs, the highest by any Indian captain. In the year 2008 RCB bagged Kohli in the auction and since then he has represented the franchise in 12 seasons.

In 2013 when Daniel Vettori stepped down as skipper after a poor outing, it was inevitable that Kohli was next in line to wear the crown. Since then Virat has led the side in 7 seasons and only 2 times the team have made it to the playoffs. He has been a premier batsman for the franchise, but as a skipper, Virat has been disappointing in most seasons. In RCB jersey he always looks lost in pressure situations and right now his winning rate stands at 42%, which is really low for a captain who has led the side for over 100 matches.

5) Ajinkya Rahane, RR

Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane of Rajasthan Royals. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Recently India have been a force to reckon in Test cricket and some of the credit should go to the Indian vice-captain in red-ball cricket, Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane has a smart cricket brain which was on show when he led the side against Australia in a nail-biting encounter in 2017 at Dharamshala. In Kohli’s absence, he has led the team 7 times and has won 6 of them. Ajinkya Rahane started his IPL career at MI, but due to limited opportunities, he moved to RR in 2011.

Last year when Smith was banned from the IPL due to the sandpaper saga, the RR franchise decided to give the leadership duties to Ajinkya Rahane. From the start, his captaincy has been passive which gives a clear picture of his track record. Last year RR made it to the semi-finals due to Jos Buttler’s heroics. This year RR is at 7th position in the points table, as they have won only 1 game out of 5. Rahane’s winning rate is below 40% which is really low.

India have produced some great captains and most of them have generated great results for the country. Though IPL is a domestic league the pressure on the players is immense, and sometimes even quality international captains can crumble under difficult situations.

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