IPL 2018: Rating the new IPL captains 

#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin is proving to be an inspirational captain for the Punjab team

Ravichandran Ashwin would have been one of the most disappointed cricketers after the auctions this year as his long-standing partnership with the Chennai Super Kings had ended this year, but as things have panned out in the last 4 months it has become a blessing in disguise for the Chennai spinner.

Ashwin was made the captain of the Punjab team and it has all worked out well for the off-spinner from the auction. He is slowly proving to be an inspirational captain for the Punjab team which hasn't won a single silverware in their last 10 years.

Ashwin has made some interesting and brave moves which have worked out well for the team. Whether it was the idea of playing Mujeeb Ur Rahman ahead of Chris Gayle in the match against Delhi or the idea of playing Gayle in a crucial match against Chennai ahead of Stoinis and Miller, Ashwin has only tasted success.

Ashwin's captaincy was also brilliant in the only game that Punjab lost. He realized that his team hadn't put up a great total and it was therefore important for the team to pick early wickets and he used his strike bowlers in the Powerplay itself. He also built pressure on the world's best batsman Virat Kohli with an attacking field which induced him to play a false shot and made him lose his wicket.

Ashwin has performed brilliantly as the captain of Punjab and he may well turn out to be the best captain that India never had

Rating: 8/10