IPL: In the game of cricket, as we all know, a captain plays an important role. He is the one who makes decisions on and off the field and it is his job to keep the environment positive, especially when the team is going through a lean patch in a series or a tournament.
Many times, a captain can be an inspiration to others by showing his team mates the way. But not all skippers do well with the dual responsibility. Sometimes, an in-form batter or a bowler also lose momentum once the captaincy role is bestowed on that particular player.
But some cricketers take that challenge and perform even better as the skipper of the team. Their performance is better than when that player was not the captain of the team. Today in this segment, we shall let our viewers know about the players who have led their teams from the front with the bat and ball.
1. Virat Kohli –
The King of International Cricket and the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in the IPL and he also has the record of smashing the most centuries as well. King Kohli was the skipper of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a team which doesn’t have any IPL titles even Kohli was the skipper of that side.
That’s why, many of us don’t know that Virat Kohli is also a top run getter as a captain of an IPL franchise team. Kohli led the RCB side in 143 games from 2013 to 2020 and during his captaincy stint, he amassed 4994 runs, which is still the most by any player as a skipper of an IPL side.
The King also smashed five centuries to his name as an IPL captain, that record has also not been broken till now. In 2016, Virat scored 973 runs in a single season, which is also the most by a captain in a single edition of this cash rich league tournament and he single-handedly took RCB in the finals of that year’s Indian Premier League.
2. Late Shane Warne –
The Indian Premier League had the privilege to have seen the legendary spin bowler from Australia playing this cash-rich league tournament. Shane Warne was part of the first-ever season of this 20-over event. Warne led the team of Rajasthan Royals and he also worked as a mentor of that side in the title-winning edition of 2008.
The team of Rajasthan Royals haven’t won a single edition since 2008 and they reached the finals of the Indian Premier League just once after that in 2022 under the leadership of their current skipper Sanju Samson. Shane Warne still has the most scalps as an IPL captain even now.
Warny picked up 57 wickets in this tournament as the skipper of an IPL side, which is still the most by any bowler as the captain. Hardik Pandya is still the only skipper to pick up a five-wicket haul as the skipper while Shane Warne is still the only skipper to pick up the most wickets in the IPL.
Also Read – When Was The Last Time Delhi Capitals Won Three In Three Opening Matches Of An IPL Season?
