The 15th edition of the cash-rich Indian T-20 league, IPL, is already on its last leg and the top four teams will be clashing with each other to grab the coveted trophy. Over the years, we have witnessed some impressive and unimpressive captains in the IPL. In this edition, some have been bang on target and way off the mark as well. But today we will only be focusing on the remarkable leaders from this year’s IPL, leaving out the other group for another day. So, here are a few notable names to score big on captaincy this season.
Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans)
As they say “Nothing Succeeds Like Success”, hence the captain of the most successful team of the current edition walks away with all the plaudits. Right from his own performance (493 from 15 games and still counting…), uncompromising attitude as a leader to deftly marshal his resources, Hardik Pandya has hardly put a foot wrong in the marquee event so far. Resultantly, the newly formed Gujarat team has already reached the final of the IPL 2022. Hence, full marks to Hardik to leave behind the memories of a disappointing T-20 World Cup last year and coming out with flying colours in the year 2022.
KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants)
Coincidentally, the other captain on the list to leave an indelible mark at this year’s IPL also belongs to a fresh new team of the IPL. KL Rahul has been impressive with his captaincy this season for LSG and made all the right moves, be it the bowling changes, field placements or getting the right batting combo. More importantly, the burden of leading a side has also not affected his performance as a batter as he has, so far, scored a mammoth 537 runs, which include 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries. The Team India opener has passed the litmus test, finally, after a lacklustre stint as the captain of Kings XI Punjab in the previous three editions.
Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)
Rajasthan Royals have finally made it to the playoff after ages and their skipper Sanju Samson deserves all the credit for the turnaround in fortunes this year. As a batsman, big scores might have eluded him but he has played some useful cameos to fatten the total of the RR in the end. In terms of captaincy, Sanju has stood out this time with the way he has utilized his bowlers, especially Chahal and R Ashwin, and fielders. Though his team lost to Gujarat Titans in the qualifiers, the street smart strategies at his disposal can easily revive the fortunes of the Royals when they take on the winner from the “Eliminators” in a few days.
Mayank Agarwal (Kings XI Punjab)
It is not fair to assess captaincy based on playoff qualification as in victories several aspects come into play and need not be good captaincy all the time. So, Kings XI Punjab’s captain Mayank Agarwal is another name to impress this season despite enduring another disappointing season in the IPL 2022. In fact, Mayank has been on the money in the current edition thrice while defending totals, highlighting his potential as a skipper. Notably, in the game of constantly changing fortunes against Mumbai Indians, his smart manoeuvres on the field ensured Punjab’s victory by a small margin of 12 runs in the end.
