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The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) will get underway on March 22. Everyone is expecting another high-voltage edition of the lucrative league. The first match will take place in Chennai between the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. All ten franchises have made necessary moves to their squads and management.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians have changed their captains for the coming season, while Rishabh Pant is expected to be back leading the Delhi Capitals. Meanwhile, other captains will be the same as the last season in 2023. This will be a test to see who comes out as the best leader and takes his team to the championship. So let’s talk about the best captains in the IPL 2024. Here are the Top 10 captains in IPL 2024
Top 10 Captains in IPL 2024
10. Shikhar Dhawan – Punjab Kings
Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan will be back leading the Punjab Kings in the coming IPL 2024. The Southpaw has been leading the side from last two seasons now, but couldn’t lead them to playoffs. Dhawan missed a few games in 2023 due to injury as well. He has led in 22 matches and won 8 while losing 14 of them. It will be a big test for him and he has a good team to lead and do well this time around.
9. Shreyas Iyer – Kolkata Knight Riders
Shreyas Iyer missed the last season due to injury, and Nitish Rana led the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023. They finished 7th in the last two seasons, and Iyer will be back leading the team in the IPL 2024. Iyer’s situation is currently under scanner after the BCCI sacked him from the central contract. Hence, it is a good chance for him to show his worth. Iyer has led KKR and DC together in 55 games and won 27 of them. He is an aggressive captain who likes to be in front of the opposition. Hence, we might see some bold moves from him as the KKR captain.
8. Rishabh Pant – Delhi Capitals
Rishabh Pant will be in action after more than one year due to a car accident, and it will be a confidence booster for DC for sure. They finished 9th last season under David Warner. However, Pant has been a great captain for them. He knows the local players very well and worked brilliantly with them. Under Pant, DC has won 16 out of 30 matches and we might see a change in fortune for Delhi after Pant’s return as a captain.
7. Sanju Samson – Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson has been the captain of the Rajasthan Royals for a few seasons now. He has done a mixed job as captain of the team. Individually, he has been a terrific batter but sometimes his captaincy has raised some questions. But overall, he has been a good captain. Under him, RR has registered 22 wins and 23 defeats in 45 matches. He also led them to the final in 2022 but lost to the Gujarat Titans. Samson will have big responsibilities on his shoulders in the IPL 2024, and he has the team to do it.
6. Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans
It will be the debut season for Shubman Gill as the captain of an IPL team. He has replaced Hardik Pandya as captain for the Gujarat Titans after Hardik was traded to MI. Gill doesn’t have much captaincy experience, but his international success and skill in understanding the needs of teams or players make him a capable leader. He is also considered as one of the future leaders of Team India. Adding to that, Gill will be helped by Kane Williamson, David Miller, and Matthew Wade who have done captaincy at the international level. Hence, with the individual form Shubman Gill is in at the moment, he can be a great leader in the IPL 2024.
5. Pat Cummins – Sunrisers Hyderabad
In the last three seasons, Sunrisers Hyderabad haven’t made it to the playoffs and in this duration, they have seen four different captains. But now, they have named Pat Cummins as their new captain for the IPL 2024, and it can turn out to be a masterstroke. Firstly, SRH has signed some exceptional match winners, and Cummins is the perfect guy to lead them. You can’t say much about the captaincy of a man who has led a nation to World Test Champions and the Cricket World Cup 2023 trophy in a span of six months. Hence, he can become the third Australian after Adam Gilchrist and David Warner, to lead the Hyderabad franchise to the IPL title.
4. KL Rahul – Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul missed most of the last IPL season due to an injury and is still in rehab because of another injury. However, he is expected to be fit at the start of the IPL 2024 which will certainly be good news for the LSG fans. Rahul has been in red-form for India, and he can be a game-changer for his team with his batting form. Adding to that, Rahul has now become a seasonal captain and has done well for LSG. Lucknow has made to consecutive playoffs in the last two seasons, and this time he will look to go beyond that.
3. Faf du Plessis – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Despite not winning a single title since the inaugural IPL season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most followed franchises in the world. And their fan following has increased since Faf du Plessis took the captaincy in 2022. Faf has been an incredible captain because he leads from the front and takes responsibility, which is why RCB has done well in last two seasons. He has led them to 14 wins in 27 games. However, he will look to make it big this time around and end that IPL trophy drought in 2024.
2. Hardik Pandya – Mumbai Indians
Trading in Hardik Pandya and announcing him as the new captain of the Mumbai Indians was an unexpected move for many fans. Rohit Sharma, who took them to five IPL titles in 11 seasons, was removed. But in many ways, it was a great decision because Hardik has all the ingredients to lead a big franchise like MI. He took GT to the title in their maiden season and followed it with another runner-up edition. Hardik as a captain is a real asset because he performs in both departments and knows how to do well in pressure situations. Hence, it won’t be a surprise if he will lead MI to another title in the IPL 2024.
1 MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni needs no introduction, and he is the best IPL captain of all-time. CSK has made the playoffs in 12 out of 14 seasons played under him, including 10 finals which is just mind-blowing stat. Dhoni has led Chennai in 226 matches, winning 133 of them, which is the most. Despite his injured knee, he led CSK to win the last season, and he can certainly do wonders on the cricket field. Dhoni is probably the best captain and will remain at the top whenever anyone will talk about IPL captaincy.
