'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4 IPL 2021 Captain: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Virat Kohli has been at the helm of the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) since 2013.
While he has an excellent record as the national team captain, the same cannot be said about his stint at RCB. The Bangalore-based franchise's best IPL finish under Kohli's leadership was a runner-up finish in 2016. RCB took the wooden spoon in 2017 and 2019 and finishing sixth in 2018.
After a three-year hiatus, RCB made it to the IPL playoffs last year but were knocked out by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.
Nevertheless, after RCB's promising run in IPL 2020, Kohli would be expected to break his team's title drought in the competition this year.
Kohli has led RCB in 125 matches and has a win percentage of 46.69. This is one area he would be keen to improve.
Despite his modest captaincy record with RCB, Kohli has had a fabulous career in the IPL. The 32-year-old is the tournament's all-time top run scorer, with 5878 runs in 192 matches. King Kohli also has a commendable average of 38.16 and a strike rate of 130.73 in the IPL.
With RCB adding the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson to their ranks this year, it remains to be seen if the duo helps the franchise win their first IPL title in 2021.
#3 IPL 2021 Captain: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
David Warner is one of the most consistent performers in the IPL and among the most valuable overseas players to feature in the league.
Warner has been with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) since 2014 and boasts a fabulous record. He led the team to their maiden IPL title in 2016 and has helped them to the playoffs in every subsequent edition of the competition he has played in.
The 34-year-old has captained SRH in 63 matches, winning 34, losing 28 and one, for a decent win % of 54.76 as captain.
The destructive Australian batsman has led SRH from the front. Their chances of making the playoffs looked very slim last season. But Warner instilled belief in his troops, and SRH won four of their last five matches to make the playoffs, eventually finishing third.
The stylish opener has also managed to score over 500 runs in each of his IPL campaigns since 2014. Last season, the left-hander was exceptional with the bat, scoring 548 runs, with four fifties, in 16 matches at an average of 39.14 and strike rate of 134.64.
More often than not, whenever his team needs him, Warner rises to the occasion. Under the Australian, SRH would hope to win their second title in the competition this year.
#2 IPL 2021 Captain: MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
MS Dhoni has been a star performer for the Chennai Super Kings. He has led the Men in Yellow to three IPL titles and eight visits to the title match.
Overall, CSK have made it to the IPL playoffs a record ten times, with IPL 2020 being the first time they failed to make it to the top 4.
Things just didn't work out for the Super Kings in 2020, as they only won 3 of their first 11 league games. Wins in their last three outings was but a saving grace but not enough to take them to the playoffs.
MS Dhoni has a fabulous captaincy record in the IPL. He has been at the helm in 188 matches (the most by any player in IPL history), with his team winning 110 games and losing 77 times, while one match did not yield a result. That translates to an impressive win percentage of 58.82.
Dhoni was not at his best in IPL 2020, though. He scored only 200 runs at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 116.27.
Nevertheless, with the arrival of Krishnappa Gowtham, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, and Cheteshwar Pujara, CSK would hope for a better IPL campaign this year. It would be interesting to see how head coach Stephen Fleming and CSK's poster boy and captain MS Dhoni utilise the new recruits in the coming season.
MS Dhoni is certainly one of the best in the business, and CSK can certainly be expected to bounce back in IPL 2021 after a one-off poor run last season. There are also speculations that it might be Dhoni's last IPL campaign, so the 39-year-old would love to end his long and illustrious career with a trophy.
#1 IPL 2021 Captain: Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
Rohit Sharma will yet again be marshalling his Mumbai Indians (MI) troops in IPL 2021. Sharma has led MI to a record five IPL titles and is easily the most successful captain in the blockbuster tournament's history.
MI have made it to the playoffs in nine of the last 11 IPL editions. They are currently the two-time defending champions in the tournament.
The Hitman, as he is popularly known, has captained in 116 IPL matches, with his team winning 68, losing 44 and tying four games. That gives Rohit Sharma a stellar win percentage of 60.34 as an IPL captain.
Sharma is also the fourth-highest run-getter in the history of the tournament, with 5230 runs in 200 matches. Last season, he scored 332 runs in 12 matches.
The right-hander possesses fabulous instincts and reads situations deftly in IPL matches. The MI captain has helped his team capitalise and seize matches in crunch situations.
With arguably the strongest roster in the competition, the Blue Army are the favourites to do a three-peat this year. It remains to be seen how Rohit Sharma and head coach Mahela Jayawardene go about their business in IPL 2021.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
