Amidst several new records and revelation of sorts in the ninth edition of the IPL, there has been an interesting point to notice. While usually in a T20 format, it is the late-order batsmen who do the big-hitting, what we are seeing this season is a different ball of wax.
A key role played by the captain of a cricket team is conveying enthusiasm. The leader’s positivity, resoluteness and performance on the pitch is transmitted to the rest of his team. And the captain’s of IPL 2016 have taken this a bit too seriously.
Gambhir in the East, Rohit in the West, Zaheer in the North and Kohli in the South, here is how the captain’s of the IPL (and coincidently, the opening batsmen!) are leading their teams with unmissable performances.
Gautam Gambhir – Kolkata Knight Riders
The architect behind the team’s topmost position on the rank table is none other than its skipper Gautam Gambhir. Once team India’s essential pillar, the batsman’s IPL performances have proved that the fire from his peak days is far from being extinguished.
Gambhir owned the orange cap for the first two weeks of the IPL until Sunrisers’ captain David Warner, followed by RCB captain Virat Kohli outnumbered his performance. KKR have won 4 out of their 5 matches so far, from which 3 are credited to the skipper.
His finest number so far has been an unbeaten 90* against Sunrisers Hyderabad. And the rest of the Knights sure are learning the tricks of the trade from their leader’s rich knocks.
Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians strongly believe in the importance of warm-up matches before getting into some serious work! (Pun intended!). Much like their previous seasons, the defending champions have not had a fire start to this edition.
Out of the 7 matches played so far, they have won 3 and lost 2, with skipper Rohit Sharma leading his men to victory on two occasions. The opening act of the Mumbai Indians has been poor so far, with only the captain showing the zeal to battle it out against adversity.
He scored half-centuries against his favorite team KKR at his favorite ground Eden Gardens, followed by another 50 against RCB. Both the matches were won by Mumbai.
Virat Kohli- Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli’s form, from international to domestic cricket, has seen no downs but only the ups. Without Kohli, aided by his opening partner AB de Villers, the team is visibly seen struggling. The orange cap speaks for his unstoppable blinders.
The captain has scored 367 runs in 5 matches, which includes his maiden T20 ton and three 50’s. But despite his form, the perhaps jinxed RCB fails to cross the line to the right side of the match result.
In any case, the joy of watching Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers bat together compensates for the loss.
David Warner – Sunrisers Hyderabad
Warner is certainly seen giving a warning to the bowlers – ‘don’t mess with me!’ The opener and skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad is the second highest run scorer for now after Virat Kohli.
While his opening colleague Shikhar Dhawan is yet to make an important contribution to the team, the feisty cricketer is seen at his absolute best. In six matches, he has scored 294 runs, including an unbeaten 90* against the Mumbai Indians in a winning cause.
Zaheer Khan – Delhi Daredevils
While the other captains have produced clinical performances with the willow, Delhi Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan has failed to make a memorable contribution with the cherry. However, it is his excellent leadership qualities which have brought him to the limelight this IPL.
Fans feared yet another sapping season for constant wooden spooners Delhi Daredevils after Kolkata Knight Riders stumped them humiliatingly in their first match of the tournament. But, much to our amazement, the team bounced back with three consecutive victories.
And much of this is credited to the captain’s wiles. He looks determined to take his team to the finals, which has been a dream for Delhi fans ever since the inception of the IPL. Zaheer Khan has played alongside the DD mentor Rahul Dravid for years, which has made him successful as a mediator between the mentor and the boys.
With a tactical cricketing mind and years of experience, the skipper has groomed the Delhi squad to their best. And the results showed in the wins.
Meanwhile, the commentator at the post-match presentation ceremony is a happy man. Two-in-one interviews, less work pressure!
(P.S. - For the fans of captain cool, well, the IPL is still a long way to go!)
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