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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is considered the most competitive T20 competition on the planet. Eight IPL 2021 squads, full of star players, lock horns with each other in the race to the coveted title in this extravaganza.
Not every player can lead a team, and the very few cricketers who can play the skipper's role well need support from the backroom staff.
If the team management backs the captain and allows him to lead the team with freedom, it often results in more success for the franchise in the high-pressure tournament.
The Deccan Chargers could record only one win in eight matches under Adam Gilchrist's captaincy during the first IPL season. Still, the team owners kept their faith in the Aussie wicket-keeper for the 2009 season. Eventually, the Deccan Chargers emerged as champions of the second edition of IPL.
However, not every captain has received as long a rope as Adam Gilchrist. While some players have lost their captaincy because of the team's inconsistent performances, a few got removed from the skipper's position, although the squad performed well.
Here's a look at those three IPL captains who did not receive more opportunities to lead despite the team's success under their leadership.
3. Ross Taylor is the only IPL captain with a 100% win record
The Pune Warriors were a part of the IPL from 2011 to 2013. During their brief existence, the franchise used many captains. One of them was New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor.
The Kiwi player got a chance to lead the Pune-based franchise in an away fixture against the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013. Since Pune had suffered three losses in their first four matches under Angelo Mathews' captaincy, not many expected them to beat the MS Dhoni-led outfit at Chepauk.
However, Taylor marshaled his troops brilliantly. Aaron Finch and Steven Smith's fantastic batting performances guided Pune to 159/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, CSK only managed 135/8, thanks to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rahul Sharma's tidy spells.
Although Pune recorded a 24-run victory against a solid CSK outfit away from home, the team management dropped Taylor from the playing XI for the next match.
Taylor had not touched the 20-run mark in his first five innings of IPL 2013. As a result, he warmed the bench for the remainder of the season, with Aaron Finch taking over the team's reins soon after.
2. Karun Nair
Karun Nair started his IPL journey with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. After spending two seasons at RCB, Nair moved to the Rajasthan Royals in 2014. Karun emerged as a match-winner for the Royals as he recorded three half-centuries in his first season for the Jaipur-based franchise.
Unfortunately, the Royals got suspended in 2015. The Delhi Capitals became Karun Nair's new home in IPL 2016. Nair became the team's captain in Zaheer Khan's absence during the 2017 season. Although Delhi lost their first game under Nair's leadership by ten wickets, they bounced back in style by recording wins against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Gujarat Lions.
Zaheer took over the team's reins after recovering from his injury and retired after that IPL season. Surprisingly, the Delhi-based franchise decided against retaining Karun Nair ahead of the 2018 season.
Since a mega-auction followed IPL 2017, Delhi could only retain three players, and they went with Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Chris Morris. They used their RTM cards for Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Shami as Nair ended up being a member of the Punjab Kings squad.
Thus, even though Karun had a 66.67 win percentage, he did not even earn a spot in the Delhi squad for the 2018 season, let alone continue as their leader.
1. Cameron White
Cameron White played an integral role in taking the Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL playoffs in their first-ever season. The Australian all-rounder led the Sunrisers Hyderabad after Kumar Sangakkara decided to step down ahead of the game against the Pune Warriors.
Before that fixture, SRH had played five matches, recording three wins and two losses. Still, Sangakarra dropped himself from the playing XI because of his disappointing performances with the willow.
White did an excellent job as the SRH captain. Although the SRH batting unit was not very strong, White used his bowlers to perfection and often led the team to victories in low-scoring thrillers. SRH ended the league stage with ten wins in 16 games.
A mega-auction took place after the 2013 season, and SRH showed no interest in retaining Cameron White because of his batting form. The Aussie went unsold at the auction and the IPL 2013 Eliminator proved to be his career's last game.
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