IPL 2020: 5 times an IPL team changed their captain during the tournament

3. Mumbai Indians, IPL 2013

Rohit Sharma is still the captain of the Mumbai Indians

Ricky Ponting will go down as one of the all-time best captains in cricket history. The Australian team became world-beaters under his leadership, but the Mumbai Indians did not achieve the same success when Ponting skippered them in 2013.

Like Gautam Gambhir, Ponting's batting form was also not exceptional. Thus, he did not hesitate to drop himself from the playing XI and elect Rohit Sharma as the next captain. Ponting's move proved to be a game-changer for MI as Rohit has led them to four championship wins so far.

---

2. Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2019

Steve Smith has taken over as Rajasthan Royals captain for the rest of the season after Ajinkya Rahane was sacked by the Indian Premier League strugglers.In full: https://t.co/M8s70gLHxm pic.twitter.com/yVfqDwpvjb

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 20, 2019

The Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL under Shane Warne's guidance. While RR have not reached a single IPL final since, they have qualified for the playoffs on multiple occasions.

Ajinkya Rahane replaced Steve Smith as the captain of RR in 2018. He took the franchise to the playoffs that year, but in 2019, RR could win only two out of their first eight matches.

Just before their game against the Mumbai Indians, RR announced the sacking of Ajinkya Rahane, as they re-elected Steve Smith as their skipper.

---

1. Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2009

The Royal Challengers Bangalore had a disastrous first season in the IPL. Despite having some match-winners like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, and Ross Taylor in the squad, RCB finished in seventh place.

The team management changed their captain in 2009 as Kevin Pietersen led the team in the first half of the second season. Unfortunately, the results did not vary much under the Englishman's captaincy. They managed only two victories in six games, and Anil Kumble soon replaced him.

There was a miraculous turnaround in RCB's campaign as they finished third on the standings, with eight wins in 14 matches. Ultimately, they finished runners-up to Deccan Chargers.