IPL 2020: Ranking the captains of all 8 teams after Week 1 | 19th-26th September

The 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) has seen only 8 matches take place so far, but it already promises to be one of the most tightly-contested editions of the tournament ever.

With only one team still undefeated and some of the tournament favourites getting off to losing starts, IPL 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride even in the short time that it has captured the attention of the cricketing fraternity across the world.

We've seen captaincy performances that have been both tactically brilliant and implausibly bizarre in equal measure, and here is a ranking of all 8 IPL 2020 skippers based on their showing so far.

Note: Performances up to Match 8 of IPL 2020 (KKR vs SRH) have been considered.

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#8 MS Dhoni (CSK) - 6th in IPL 2020

It is a terrible shame to rank one of the greatest captains of all time at #8 on this list, but MS Dhoni's lack of confidence with his batting has greatly impacted CSK in the early stages of IPL 2020.

The first game against MI didn't see the former Indian captain come out to bat, but that wasn't a major surprise as CSK coasted to a comfortable win. However, Dhoni's batting positions in the second and third games against RR and DC respectively have led experts to question whether he is shying away from the responsibility.

The need for other team members to spend time out in the middle is certainly true, but MS Dhoni, who last played a top-level game of cricket in the 2019 World Cup before IPL 2020, needs it as much as anyone else. The 39-year-old has also played with only 5 bowling options in all three games, and has been a bit shorthanded in that department.

CSK have now lost 2 out of their first 3 games, and they need their captain to step up and show the world why he is one of the greatest cricketers of all time.

Also see:- IPL standings

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#7 David Warner (SRH) - 8th in IPL 2020

David Warner and SRH have fallen to two defeats in their first two IPL 2020 games, and have now lost 5 on the trot in the prestigious league. The team's failures has largely been down to their threadbare middle order, but even the famed SRH bowling hasn't been anywhere near as potent as it usually is.

Team selection has been an issue for SRH, who were unlucky on many levels in their first game against RCB but were tactically distinctly poor against KKR. Kane Williamson has been warming the bench even though he appears to be fit, and Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of IPL 2020 due to injury.

SRH need to get their IPL 2020 campaign back on track immediately, and David Warner needs a turnaround in his captaincy as well.

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#6 Virat Kohli (RCB) - 7th in IPL 2020

Although RCB have played only 2 games in IPL 2020, they find themselves languishing near the bottom of the points table like they have in the past three seasons. And after a morale-boosting win over an unfortunate SRH in their first game, Virat Kohli and his men suffered an absolute shocker against KL Rahul's KXIP.

The captain himself has been especially poor so far, with 15 runs and 2 dropped catches blotching his glowing IPL batting resume. Kohli was abysmal tactically in the game against KXIP as he threw away any advantage they had gained through his woeful bowling changes.

The signs don't look too good for RCB at the moment, despite the fact that they have a well-rounded, balanced squad.

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#5 Dinesh Karthik (KKR) - 5th in IPL 2020

The KKR squad doesn't look too strong on paper, and the team's star overseas recruits haven't stepped up to the plate yet. But after a disappointing defeat to tournament favourites MI in the first game, Dinesh Karthik rallied his troops to a convincing win over SRH yesterday.

KKR are currently placed 5th in the IPL 2020 points table after winning one and losing one, and although they do have areas of concern such as the No. 7 slot in their batting lineup, Karthik could inspire his team to a top-4 finish.

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#4 Rohit Sharma (MI) - 3rd in IPL 2020

Rohit Sharma has been one of the standout batsmen of IPL 2020 so far, with his attacking 80 against KKR laying to rest any concerns about his form and fitness after the long pandemic-enforced break.

The MI skipper has led from the front in the batting department, and has been quite shrewd as well with his bowling changes and field placements. He took the brave calls of dropping Chris Lynn in favour of a bowler and playing Saurabh Tiwary at No. 4 ahead of the young Ishan Kishan, and both calls have paid off well so far.

Rohit's team are one of the best outfits on paper, and could go on a winning run very soon.

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#3 KL Rahul (KXIP) - 2nd in IPL 2020

First-time IPL captain KL Rahul saw KXIP let slip a golden opportunity to grab two points in their first IPL 2020 game against DC as they fell to a heart-breaking Super Over defeat. But the Karnataka lad took the game against RCB by the scruff of its neck, registering an unbeaten 132 and leading his team to a 97-run win.

Rahul has shown early signs of having a calm, thinking head on his shoulders, and despite KXIP's obvious deficiencies with respect to team balance, he could take his team deep into IPL 2020.

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#2 Steve Smith (RR) - 4th in IPL 2020

Steve Smith had a job on his hands entering his first IPL 2020 game against CSK - he had been out of action for a few weeks owing to a concussion, and he was without the services of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.

The RR skipper pulled through admirably, as he opened the batting in the absence of the English wicket-keeper and scored a fluent fifty alongside the mercurial Sanju Samson. Smith was superb with his bowling changes as well, and led RR to a 16-run win against a strong CSK batting lineup on Sharjah's short boundaries.

RR take on KXIP in their second IPL 2020 game at the same venue today, and the Rahul-Smith captaincy battle will certainly be one to watch out for.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer (DC) - 1st in IPL 2020

The captain of the only undefeated team in IPL 2020 so far, Shreyas Iyer is #1 on this list, and understandably so. Although he appeared to have lost his team the first IPL 2020 game with a dropped catch, a combination of Marcus Stoinis' brilliance and some poor KXIP batting ensured that DC scraped through via a Super Over.

And in the second game against CSK, Iyer and DC put on a clinic as they convincingly defeated the 3-time IPL champions, handing them their second consecutive loss in the process.

Iyer's DC have immense depth in all departments, and have shown that they have what it takes to perform under pressure. Named as one of the favourites for IPL 2020 despite having never reached the final, DC are set to live up to their billing and contend for the title this year.

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