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The festivities are about to begin. The next edition of the IPL is around the corner. Players around the world are busy auditioning for a lucrative IPL contract as team scouts are scouring the horizon to find the next diamond in the rough.
IPL's growth has been simply sensational. Mccullum's 158 runs off 73 balls in the first match of the IPL was the perfect kick-off to the high-octane brand of cricket that the IPL represents. The best of the best players in the world come together to compete fiercely in this most prestigious league cricket tournament in the world.
Initially, it was the razzmatazz, glamour and after-game parties that made the headlines. In fact, many cricket enthusiasts even refused to acknowledge the IPL as a serious cricket tournament. But, the IPL has revolutionized cricket. As it turns out, it has lived up to its billing. It is now the gold standard of high-octane, competitive cricket that other leagues are trying to emulate.
Apart from all the distractions that surround the IPL outside of the playing field, really, the most memorable moments of the IPL come from within the playing field. There have been numerous incredible individual performances that have made superstars of virtually unknown cricketers.
The IPL has also been a platform for the fans to witness some exceptional captaincy. Innovative moves and bold decisions by fearless captains have resulted in some famous wins. It has been the budding ground for some great leaders to emerge. Let's rank the three greatest IPL captains of all time and re-live some of their achievements:
#3 Shane Warne
Shane Warne's leadership style and captaincy nous are of the kind and quality that need to be recorded in a textbook and used as a guide for young budding leaders aspiring to captain their teams.
His ability to take a team of unknown and inexperienced players and to will them to a title win in the first edition of the IPL was truly an exhibition of one of the finest pieces of captaincy witnessed in modern day cricket. He led by example, motivated his players to dig deep in their hearts, inspired them through his own performance, and made them believe that they can win the championship.
No expert gave Warne's Rajasthan Royals even a remote chance of winning the IPL title in that first edition. But Warne and his warriors proved all of them wrong and won the hearts of millions. Truly, Warne is one of the greatest inspirational leaders the IPL has known and for that, he makes it to #3 of the greatest IPL captains of all time.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit's captaincy is one of those diamonds in the rough that the IPL has helped uncover. He took over as captain from Ponting in the middle of the 2013 IPL edition. The Mumbai Indians at that time were reeling under the burden of high expectations.
Despite having been led by high profile captains like Tendulkar and Ponting, the Mumbai Indians had no silverware to display and didn't look like any were imminent in the near future when Rohit was handed the reins. But their fortunes changed almost overnight.
Rohit's captaincy style characterized by effective communication with his players, aggressive pro-active moves on the field, and leadership by example transformed the hapless Mumbai Indians from the depths of desperation to the pinnacle of prestige.
In six years as captain, Rohit has led Mumbai to three titles! Despite his incredible achievements, he remains, to this day, underestimated as captain. His record, however, speaks volumes of his success. His win percentage of 59.04% is second only to Dhoni's record. For his incredible leadership in transforming the Mumbai Indians, Rohit makes it to the second spot in the list of the greatest IPL captains of all time.
#1 MS Dhoni
Dhoni's journey to greatness began when he successfully led an unheralded, young and inexperienced Indian side to the inaugural World T20 championship. Dhoni used the IPL to further his reputation as a great leader with the ability to motivate individual ordinary cricketers to achieve extra-ordinary milestones collectively. His cool minded approach even when under immense pressure has won him admirers from his opponents as well.
Dhoni's record as captain of the Chennai Super Kings is simply astounding. In 9 years as captain, he has led the Super Kings to 7 trips to the finals and 3 titles. His team's win in the last edition was perhaps the most astonishing of all their wins. The Super Kings had more than nine players who were over 30 years old. Few experts gave them a chance to win the title. But Dhoni led that team to a dominating performance and ultimately to the Super King's third title.
Dhoni's win percentage as captain of 61.97% is the best in the league. But, his greatness lies well beyond such statistics. He has proved the fact that a leader's success cannot be accurately gauged by statistics. It is the number of people that he's inspired that tells the real story. Whichever way you choose to slice the cake, the bottom line is that Dhoni is the greatest IPL captain of all time.
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