IPL 2018: List of captains for the T20 extravaganza

With the IPL auction done and dusted, most of the teams have already sorted out their playing combinations along with the coach and supporting staff.

Teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings built their core through retention and Right to Match (RTM) cards. On the other hand, Rajasthan and Punjab almost started from scratch.

While most of the teams had an automatic choice for the captaincy role, teams like Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab were in a dilemma as to who would lead their team. Eventually, all the teams chose their respective leaders.

Let us check out the list of captains for IPL 2018.

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#1 Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)

Rohit Sharma has been part of Mumbai team from 2011 IPL edition

This one is really a no-brainer that Rohit Sharma would lead the Mumbai Indians (MI) side. He is the most successful captain in the history of IPL with three championship titles to his name.

Mumbai have retained all key players in the team and with the addition of some good players in the side, it will be interesting to see how Rohit leads this team.

#2 Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)

Gambhir had started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils

As expected, most of the teams had retained their marquee players before the auction took place. However, the exclusion of Gautam Gambhir from Kolkata was the biggest surprise of all.

It was under the leadership of Gambhir that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. His former team Delhi Daredevils (DD) then bought him for Rs 2.4 crore. An official announcement confirmed that Gambhir will be leading DD in this year's IPL.

#3 David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Warner has been an integral part of the Hyderabad team

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be more than happy to continue with David Warner as their captain. It was under Warner's leadership that SRH had won the IPL title in 2016 and even in the last season, they qualified for the eliminator.

With the nucleus of the side intact, Warner would not have much difficulty in leading the same side and would like to lead with example.

#4 Steve Smith (Rajasthan Royals)

Steve Smith was part of the Rajasthan team in 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons

Rajasthan Royals (RR) had retained only Steve Smith prior to the auction and they were impressive in the auction and bought some valuable players.

Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and RR have almost the same set of players which includes Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi and Jaydev Unadkat. Shane Warne, who is the mentor of this side, confirmed that Smith will lead them in IPL 2018.

#5 MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)

MS Dhoni las led CSK team to two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans are over the moon for many reasons. Firstly CSK will be coming back after a gap of two years and secondly, their Thala, MS Dhoni will be leading this side.

Players like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis have been retained in this team. With the core team kept intact, CSK fans will be hoping that their side is able to re-create the same magic under the leadership of Dhoni and win the IPL title.

#6 Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Kohli is now the only player to play for one team right from 2008 IPL edition

If there is one thing that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans and Virat Kohli will be looking for is to win that prestigious IPL title. Kohli, who will lead RCB again is determined to go all the way.

RCB have covered all the bases by retaining their key players and also bought some match winners in the auction. If everything goes well for the Bangalore-based side, they might win the championship this time.

#7 Dinesh Karthik (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Karthik has an experience of almost 12 years on the international arena

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had done a decent job at the IPL auction 2018 but one big question remained. Who will lead them in the absence of Gautam Gambhir?

There were a lot of contenders for the captaincy with Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik and Chris Lynn among the top contenders. Eventually, Karthik was appointed as the captain because of his immense experience as a captain in the domestic circuit.

In the Tamil Nadu Premier League as well, Karthik led TUTI Patriots to the championship and looked impressive as a captain.

#8 Ravichandran Ashwin (Kings XI Punjab)

Ashwin will have the chance to showcase his captaincy skills

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) look one of the strongest teams on paper but the million dollar question was who exactly would lead this side?

It was after several detailed discussions that KXIP announced Ashwin as their captain for IPL 2018. Before the official announcement, Yuvraj Singh, Axar Patel, Chris Gayle, Ravichandran Ashwin and Aaron Finch were the candidates for this role.

Ashwin has some captaincy experience as he has led Tamil Nadu in First-Class cricket. He has also captained Dindigul Dragons in the TNPL. Along with his captaincy experience, his shrewd thinking will also come in handy.