5 Times Overseas Captains failed to make their mark in the IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced Aiden Markram as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Markram's title triumph with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SAT20 is viewed as a possible factor for the decision.

Meanwhile, the UP Warriorz have announced Alyssa Healy as their captain over Deepti Sharma in the Women's Premier League. This has brought up the age-old question about the success of overseas captains in the IPL.

The league has seen successful captains such as David Warner, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, and even Kane Williamson. However, there have also been many players who have been unable to leave their mark as a team's captain.

On that note, let's look at five overseas players who couldn't make their mark as captains in the Indian Premier L.

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#5 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch's struggles in the Indian Premier League are well-documented, with the Australian batter plying his trade for many teams but unable to have a consistent impact for any of them.

He has scored 2091 runs in 90 innings in the IPL, averaging only 24.89 and scoring at a strike rate of 128.2. Neither figure does any justice to the explosiveness the Australian has shown he possesses.

Finch has represented various teams in the league. This includes the Rajasthan Royal, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Gujarat Lions, Mumbai Indians, and most recently, the Kolkata Knight Riders.

However, his main opportunity as a captain came when he played for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013.

Following a poor start to the season, the under-fire team removed all-rounder Angelo Mathews from captaincy. After giving Ross Taylor one game at the helm, the Warriors handed Finch the captaincy for the remainder of the season.

However, the Aussie opener couldn't really make a mark as the team finished the season in eighth place and failed to make it into the playoffs.

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#4 JP Duminy

JP Duminy couldn't turn the Delhi Daredevils' fortunes around as a captain

JP Duminy is among the most underrated overseas players in IPL history and has always been a valuable utility for whichever side he has played. He has represented the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the league, with his stint in Delhi lasting the longest.

With more than 2000 runs at an average of 39.78 and 23 wickets to his name, Duminy had a great run in the Indian Premier League as a player.

However, he couldn't make the most of his opportunity when he was made the captain of the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2015. The team finished seventh in the league, winning five matches and losing eight, despite Duminy's best efforts with the bat.

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#3 Kumar Sangakkara

Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara has been around since the inception of the Indian Premier League, playing in five editions.

He represented the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), the now-defunct Deccan Charges, and later, the Sunrisers Hyderabad in that period. The legendary cricketer has also tried his hand at coaching since then and was most recently named the Rajasthan Royals' Director of Cricket in 2021.

However, his IPL records suggest that he wasn't as effective in the league as he was in international cricket. The 2013 ICC T20 World Cup winner recorded only 1687 runs in 68 innings, averaging a mere 25.95.

The Sri Lankan's captaincy record in the league is also quite dismal.

In 47 games as a captain of KXIP, the Chargers, and later SRH, Sangakkara put won only 15 times and lost on 30 occasions. He even quit the captaincy midway through the 2012 IPL season, allowing Aussie all-rounder Cameron White to take over.

Sangakkara's spell as Director of Cricket for the Rajasthan Royals, however, has been much better. The franchise notably made the finals last season and will be looking to make it back to the summit clash this year as well.

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#2 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan simply wasn't able to get going in the Indian Premier League despite boasting a decent overall T20 record

Eoin Morgan is one of the best limited-overs batters in the world and boasts vast experience playing in countless T20 leagues around the world. However, the 2019 ODI World Cup winner never found his feet in the Indian Premier League and his stats reflect the same.

Morgan could score only 1405 runs in the IPL in 75 innings, averaging a subpar 22.66 at a strike rate of 122.6.

Despite his record in the IPL, KKR signed him up for the 2020 IPL season. After a poor start to the campaign, the management handed him the reins to the side from Dinesh Karthik. He later continued as the captain for IPL 2021, but drew criticism for both his captaincy and batting.

A remarkable second-half revival saw KKR make it to the finals of the 2021 season, where they were beaten by the Chennai Super Kings. The Knight Riders didn't retain Morgan ahead of the 2022 mega auction.

It's safe to say that the Englishman never really got going in the IPL and couldn't leave his mark on the biggest T20 league in the world.

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#1 Ricky Ponting

Mumbai Indians fans were delighted to be able to watch Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting share the crease briefly in IPL 2013. The Australian legend, who led his national team to three ICC ODI World Cup titles, was chosen to lead MI, but couldn't impact their season that much.

He had a bad time with the bat and eventually dropped himself from the side, allowing Rohit Sharma to lead the team.

MI eventually finished second in the points table and beat the Chennai Super Kings in the final to win their first title. While Ponting, one of the greatest international skippers of all-time, got to lift the trophy, he had minimal impact on the proceedings and couldn't leave his mark on the tournament.

However, he has done well as a head coach, first with the Mumbai Indians and now with the Delhi Capitals.