IPL 2019: 5 Players you won't believe have captained in IPL

The Indian Premier League is into its 12th season and now an integral part of the life of every Indian cricketer. IPL has spring-boarded many careers with the likes of Pandya brothers, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Ambati Rayudu making it big in the international stage.

IPL has witnessed some great captains in the form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, and Ricky Ponting.

Some of them succeded while others struggled. Also, IPL has seen some odd captains. Players like James Hopes, Jean-Paul Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell, and Kevin Pietersen, who rarely or never led their side in International cricket, have captained in IPL.

On that note, here we take a look at the five players you won't believe have captained in the Indian Premier League.

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#5 Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel in action for Mumbai Indians in IPL

The 33-year-old is one of the underrated players in Indian cricket. Parthiv Patel has played in all the IPL campaigns so far and played 125 games for various franchises. He is one of the very few players who has represented seven teams in the Indian Premier League.

During the fourth season of IPL, Parthiv Patel got an opportunity to lead his side. He led Kochi Tuskers Kerala against Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk as Mahela Jayawardene left IPL to play for Sri Lanka. Despite the presence of players like Brendon McCullum and Brad Hodge, Parthiv was made the captain of the team.

Chasing a score of 153, Kochi Tuskers Kerala lost the game by 11 runs and Parthiv Patel managed to score only six runs in the game. It was the only occasion that Parthiv Patel actually led a team in the Indian Premier League.

#4 Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo in action for CSK

The West Indies all-rounder has been a permanent fixture in IPL for more than a decade. He played 122 games in IPL so far and picked up 136 wickets at an economy rate of 8.40. He has also scored 1379 runs at a strike rate of almost 130, which included five fifties.

Bravo started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2008 and was bought by Chennai Super Kings in 2011. Bravo went on to win two IPL titles with Chennai. He then joined Gujarat Lions in 2016 but returned to CSK in 2018.

It was during his tenure with Mumbai Indians, Bravo had a chance to lead his team. It was only for a solitary game in 2010 and Mumbai Indians lost that game. A brilliant all-rounder and a stunning fielder, Bravo is not known for his exploits as a captain.

#3 Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay led Kings XI Punjab in 2016

Murali Vijay has had an illustrious IPL career. He was phenomenal for the Chennai Super Kings and went to play for the other franchises as well. Vijay has played 101 games in the Indian Premier League so far and scored more than 2500 runs at an average of 26.28.

The Tamil Nadu star was bought by Kings XI Punjab during the 2016 IPL auction. He replaced David Miller as the captain midway through the season after a poor start to the campaign. However, Vijay had a tough time as a captain.

In the eight games he captained Kings XI Punjab, they have managed to win only three and lost the remaining games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished last with just four wins in 14 games. It was the only season Vijay has led a team in the Indian Premier League.

#2 Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor in action for Delhi Daredevils

One of the most successful Kiwi cricketers of all-time, Ross Tayor did not have a great IPL career. In 55 IPL games, he has scored 1017 runs at an average of 25. He was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2008 to 2010 and moved to Rajasthan Royals in 2011.

He then played for Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Pune Warriors India. Ross Taylor's last IPL appearance came in 2014 and he either went unsold or never participated in the action later. A swashbuckling player with the bat, Taylor is not regarded a lot for his captaincy.

The 34-year-old captained a game for Pune Warriors India during IPL 2013. Though Taylor made only eight runs in the game, Pune Warriors won it by 24 runs against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings. It was the only occasion Ross Taylor captained in IPL.

#1 David Miller

David Miller led Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2016

David Miller has been a part of the Indian Premier League since 2012. The Proteas star has played 69 games for Kings XI Punjab and scored 1637 runs at an average of 35.58 and a strike rate of 140. He is one of those players who played for just one franchise in his entire IPL career.

The 29-year-old led Kings XI Punjab during the 2016 IPL campaign. He was appointed captain at the start of the season but removed later midway through the campaign because of poor results and Miller's poor form with the bat.

Punjab lost five of the six games in Miller's captaincy and he was replaced by Murali Vijay. It turned out to be a dreadful season for KXIP as they finished last in the points table. It was the only season Miller led his team in IPL.