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The role of a captain in any sport holds paramount importance in making quick decisions and holding the team together in crunch moments. It's their natural instinct and experience that help them win games for the team.
In the game of cricket, especially in T20s, a leader has to be swift in gauging situations and put his team in a dominant position. This is due to the fast-paced nature of the format, and each decision can be crucial from a team's perspective.
On Thursday, MS Dhoni decided to pass the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. It will be interesting to see if the right-handed batter can live up to the expectations of fans.
However, there have been many instances in the past, where the players have adapted well to replace the past leaders of the respective teams. Below are the five smoothest captaincy transitions in IPL history:
1) Shane Watson - Steve Smith
The Australian duo of Shane Watson and Steve Smith were involved in exchanging leadership duties for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2015. In the 2014 season, Watson led RR and helped them finish fifth on the table. However, a hip injury forced him to sit out in the first four games of the following season.
In place of him, Smith captained the side and secured four consecutive victories. Thereafter, Watson returned to lead Rajasthan but relinquished the role due to poor batting performances.
As a result, Smith was back at the helm and helped the franchise seal a playoff spot. Moreover, Watson slammed runs at an average of over 40, while hitting a century as well.
2) Shreyas Iyer - Rishabh Pant
After Delhi Capitals (DC) could win only one of the first six matches in IPL 2018, Gautam Gambhir handed over leadership duties to Shreyas Iyer. Although Delhi finished last, Iyer showed promise as DC notched up four more wins. The following two seasons saw the youngster take the team to the playoffs, while ending up as a runner-up in 2020.
Unfortunately, Iyer missed the first half of the IPL 2021 season due to a shoulder injury. This gave rise to a new leader in the form of Rishabh Pant, who retained the role in the second half as well.
Under the wicketkeeper's captaincy, the Capitals emerged as table-toppers with 10 wins in 14 appearances.
3) Virat Kohli - Faf Du Plessis
One of the finest batters of the modern era, Virat Kohli became a regular captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2013. The 2015 season saw them reach the playoffs, and end as runner-up in 2016.
Then, 2020 proved to be a breakthrough year for them as they clinched a playoff spot after a gap of four years. The franchise repeated the feat the following season as well, demonstrating Kohli's prowess as a captain.
However, Kohli resigned from the role ahead of the 2022 season and Faf du Plessis led the team. The team certainly had a smooth transition, as Du Plessis used his experience well to lead them into the playoffs yet again, with eight wins in 14 games.
4) Kevin Pietersen - Anil Kumble
RCB secured the services of English batter Kevin Pietersen for the 2009 season. After the IPL was shifted to South Africa, he was announced as captain of the franchise. However, Bangalore could only win two of their first six games, before Pietersen left for national duty.
After his departure, Anil Kumble led the team to win six of their remaining eight league matches and seal a playoff spot. They were too close to winning the title, as the Deccan Chargers won the final by six runs. Nevertheless, Kumble certainly showed his merit as a captain in the shortest format.
5) Ricky Ponting - Rohit Sharma
The foundation for Mumbai Indians to lift five IPL titles was laid in 2013, when Ricky Ponting handed over the reins to Rohit Sharma. The two-time World Cup-winning captain took this decision after a slump in his batting form and a shattering 87-run loss to the Rajasthan Royals.
Rohit's appointment reaped fruit for MI, as they finished second on the points table with 11 victories in 16 matches. In the final, they beat Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs to win their maiden title. Under Rohit's leadership, Mumbai then went on to clinch titles in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. His captaincy tenure came to an end, as all-rounder Hardik Pandya replaced him ahead of the 2024 season.
Certainly, this captaincy transition was the smoothest one in tournament history, as it also gave birth to Rohit Sharma, the present captain of the Indian team.
