IPL 2018: Rating of the captains - Know who gets what

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 concluded on Sunday with Chennai Super Kings winning a third title in nine years. The Sunrisers Hyderabad were thrashed by the MS Dhoni-led side after a blistering 117-run knock by Shane Watson. MS Dhoni and his band of merry men eventually won their third title as skipper to highlight the importance of captaincy and the attributes that come along with it.

Credit also should be given to SRH skipper Kane Williamson for leading a franchise team well and defining himself after contributing immensely with the bat. The rest of the teams had their moments and shortcomings as the tournament progressed. A skipper is as good as his team and that was noticed so vividly throughout. A captain’s importance in a format like T20s is immense with quick decision making and getting the right combinations.

In this article, we rate the skippers on what factors they brought into their sides.

MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings (9.5/10)

Another perfect campaign for MS Dhoni as CSK skipper. 7 finals in 9 appearances say a lot. What was notable to see was the manner in which he backed the senior players and everybody took their responsibility well. MSD’s individual campaign was terrific and his experience helped him get the balance right. The consistency in the side was unmatchable by any other team and every player knew their job on what is expected out of them. CSK hardly ever got a foot down and Dhoni once again showed he is the fulcrum of the side and a champion in this format.

Kane Williamson – Sunrisers Hyderabad (8.5/10)

The Kiwi skipper’s biggest task was to get his side reach the heights that were a common factor under David Warner. And Williamson did not disappoint. Like Warner, he batted like a champion and won many games on the basis of his runs. SRH bowling unit was superb throughout and Williamson ensured he kept them going. The Kiwi player’s calmness and thinking cap need to be lauded here. He led with class and dignity and that helped SRH reach the final.

Dinesh Karthik – Kolkata Knight Riders (8/10)

Many felt that KKR never had a chance to qualify for the playoffs, but Dinesh Karthik proved everybody wrong. Karthik thrived as a skipper and the best part about his captaincy was the chances given to youngsters in the side. KKR lacked the bench strength but the team fought well to make sure that did not influence their campaign. DK was superb with the bat and he put weight to his role as a finisher. DK gave the youngsters important jobs to do and did not shy away from being bold.

Ajinkya Rahane – Rajasthan Royals (6/10)

The Royals need to thank Jos Buttler for helping them reach the playoffs. Apart from that Ajinkya Rahane as a skipper was a let down most times. Individually he couldn’t quite rise to the task and often his captaincy lacked the aggression and quick thinking ploy. The team was inconsistent throughout but held themselves in the last few games. But the inexperience of the side was once again put to light in the Eliminator against KKR.

Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians (7/10)

Rohit did not have a crucial season with the bat, but he needs to be lauded for keeping the team’s chances alive till the very end. Their start to the campaign in those last-over encounter losses hurt them. One of Rohit’s striking feature was that of sending Suryakumar Yadav to open the innings from their 3rd game. The former KKR player grabbed the opportunity and scored 512 runs and became the first uncapped player to do so. Having said that, Rohit also handled his pace bowlers well at the death and they all chipped in with consistent performances.

Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore (6/10)

RCB were inconsistent throughout and although they peaked to form in the end, the performance against RR in the do-or-die encounter summed up their season. Like usual the RCB skipper was left to do a lot and it was one of those campaigns, once again, where RCB’s middle-order failed miserably. Five losses in the first seven games made the task impossible for RCB. Kohli’s team selection was questionable on several occasions. Also, the constant tweaking of the opening combination hurt the side. At times, they were a bowler short and that was disastrous at the death. Kohli played superbly but his captaincy lacked aggression.

R Ashwin – Kings XI Punjab (5/10)

One thing that hurt KXIP badly was the decision making of skipper R Ashwin. In one of the crucial games against Mumbai in the end, the decision to send Yuvraj Singh below Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel were disappointing. Ashwin was never confident about his middle-order, with new faces in almost every game. The omission of David Miller was a costly one. Ashwin debuting as an IPL skipper will definitely learn a lot from this sorry campaign. His performances too weren’t up to the mark.

Shreyas Iyer – Delhi Daredevils (5/10)

The 23-year-old Iyer took over from Gautam Gambhir in the middle of Delhi’s campaign and he looked like a cricketer who is determined to learn from the trades of captaincy. He led DD for eight games this season. The Mumbaikar had a decent campaign individually, but Delhi was left with a lot to do. The issue for Daredevils was the lack of balance in their XI and somewhat all through the campaign, they got it wrong. Iyer looked to have got the calls right in the final two games of their season.