IPL 2016: Rating the captaincy of the IPL skippers so far

Suresh Raina (Gujarat Lions)

The surprising package in this year's IPL so far have been the Gujarat Lions who now have 5 wins from 6 matches. Suresh Raina has shown that he has come of age and has been spot on with his captaincy in the tournament.

His team-mates Praveen Kumar and Brendon McCullum, in particular, have been eloquent in their praise for Raina's captaincy.

"I think in these first two games; his captaincy has been outstanding. In both the games, we got off to a rough start with the ball, but he has remained calm, composed under pressure and made sound decisions," McCullum told iplt20.com

"He has been able to motivate the team when the game is on the line and it is not an easy skill to do. His leadership includes other leaders as well, it works well with the coach and he is always trying to create an environment and culture for the group."

Raina who has finally emerged from the shadow of MS Dhoni as a captain has credited his former CSK skipper for having taught him the tricks of trade.

"I have spent a lot of time with MS over the last 10-15 years and I have seen how he goes about his job as a captain before and during a game. I keep talking to him and asking him questions in the field, standing at slip or point as to what he is thinking and why he made a particular move. He is so calm under pressure," Raina said.

Rating: 9/10