The captain is the team’s most important player. His decisions and strategies have a significant impact on his team’s success or defeat. This is why only experienced and outstanding players are selected as captains. Many renowned captains have won titles for their respective clubs in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, a team’s captain has been changed midway through the competition in order to make amends for poor results. There are a variety of reasons why clubs in the IPL may be forced to change their captain in the middle of the season.
- VVS Laxman to Adam Gilchrist
Deccan Chargers were one of the eight original members of the IPL. VVS Laxman was selected as the team’s captain. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that cut his season short after only six games. After that, Adam Gilchrist was appointed captain. Despite Gilchrist’s ability as a captain, the squad only won two games out of 14 and finished at the bottom of the standings. The bowlers failed to deliver with the ball, and the batsmen failed to fire at vital times, resulting in a disappointing season. This was the first time in IPL history that the captaincy was changed in the middle of the season.
- Ricky Ponting to Rohit Sharma
Ricky Ponting is largely recognized as one of the greatest players in cricket history, as well as one of the finest captains. However, the Mumbai Indians (MI) did not appear to win any matches under Ponting in 2013. Things did not appear to be working out. Ponting made the decision to retire at that point. The MI captaincy was then given to Rohit Sharma. This proved to be one of the best decisions in MI history, as Rohit Sharma led MI to their first IPL title in 2013. Rohit himself was in excellent form that year, scoring 538 runs in 19 matches.
- Daniel Vettori to Virat Kohli
RCB got off to a good start in the IPL 2012, defeating the Delhi Daredevils by 20 runs. However, they lost their following three games, owing primarily to the absence of Chris Gayle at the top of the order. They recovered admirably, winning the next three matches to keep themselves in contention for the playoffs. Muttiah Muralidharan was a vital bowler for RCB in the fifth edition, hence Daniel Vettori was benched and Virat Kohli was named captain. He led the squad in six games, four of which the club won.
- David Warner to Kane Williamson
David Warner has led the SRH to a title and to the playoffs three times. He has also been SRH’s highest run-scorer in every season he has played for the club, with the exception of last year, when he struggled. He struggled to get going and appeared to be out of touch not only with the bat but also as a captain. Warner and the management didn’t seem to be on the same page, thus Kane Williamson took over as SRH captain.
- Ravindra Jadeja to MS Dhoni
In a startling turn of events, Chennai Super Kings revealed that their current captain, Ravindra Jadeja, is resigning his captaincy duties in order to focus more on his batting and bowling. CSK also stated that MS Dhoni, the team’s former captain and one of the most successful leaders in the game’s history, will reclaim his position for the greater interest of the squad.
