3 players who have captained both DC and KKR in the IPL

The Delhi Capitals (DC) will look to arrest their five-match losing streak in IPL 2023 when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, April 20.

It's now or never for the Capitals, who remain the only team yet to register points for the season. The Knight Riders, on the other hand, have won two out of five games and will be desperate to move up the ladder themselves.

A lot of their hopes hinge on the shoulders of their respective skippers, David Warner and Nitish Rana. Speaking of skippers, the two teams in question have had a few players who have captained both franchises.

Let's look at three such names in this listicle:

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#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir (center) led KKR to two IPL titles.

Gautam Gambhir's legacy as skipper of KKR is well-documented, having guided them to two IPL trophies over the years. He was initially the captain of DC, though, when they were called the Delhi Daredevils.

With Virender Sehwag missing a few games in 2009, Gambhir stepped in for him before taking over the role full-time in 2010 after Sehwag relinquished his duties. Delhi didn't retain him ahead of the mega auction, though, leading to a storied chapter between the left-handed opener and the Knight Riders.

Gambhir returned to the Daredevils in 2018, although a poor run of form with the bat and the team's failure to get into a winning run saw him step down after the first six games.

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#2 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik (L) has led Delhi in a few games in the IPL (File image).

Once Gambhir returned to DC, Dinesh Karthik was appointed captain of KKR ahead of IPL 2018. He led them to the playoffs at the first time of asking before the team fell agonizingly short of repeating the feat in 2019.

Karthik led the franchise halfway through the 2020 season, although he then stepped down in a bid to focus on his batting. England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan then took over from him even as Karthik remained the vice-captain.

Karthik's first tryst with captaincy in the IPL, however, came with Delhi as he stepped into Gambhir's shoes in 2010 owing to an injury for the latter. He again led the team for a few games in 2014, in the absence of an injured Kevin Pietersen.

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#3 Shreyas Iyer

KKR's current skipper, who is out of IPL 2023 with a back injury, was the man who led DC to their only final appearance in 2020. Shreyas Iyer took over the reins from Gambhir after the first six games in 2018 and led the team for the two seasons that followed.

He led them to Qualifier 2 in 2019 and the final in 2020, although a shoulder injury saw him miss the next season with Rishabh Pant taking over. While Shreyas returned once the season then resumed in the UAE that year, he played under Pant's captaincy as DC made the playoffs again.

Having been appointed KKR captain ahead of IPL 2022, Shreyas endured a tough time as his side finished seventh in the points table. Nitish Rana is currently captaining the Knight Riders in the ongoing season.

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Did DC make an error by not retaining Shreyas Iyer ahead of last year's mega auction? Have your say in the comments section below!