IPL: All time Captain's XI.

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IPL season XI captains.

Indian Premier League abbreviated as IPL is the top cricket league in the world. Since it's inception IPL has introduced new skippers to the world cricket. A team's success not only depends on individual performances but also depends on the tactics made by the captain on the field. Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals and Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers won the first and second editions of the lavish league.

This two-season exemplifies the importance of an Overseas skipper as they are equally good with the Indian skippers. Mahendra Singh Dhoni broke the shackles becoming the first Indian skipper to win an IPL title. Dhoni continued to make his mark winning it twice more in 2011 and 2018. Only Rohit Sharma could match this record as Hitman's Mumbai won it thrice in 11 seasons.

David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 IPL, becoming the third overseas captain to win an IPL title. A good captain should be as good as a team-leading from the front. We will now try to build an XI that consists of only captains.

#1 David Warner:

The Australian opener who made his IPL debut against Chennai Super Kings in 2009 has represented two franchises in IPL. He was initially part of Delhi Daredevils but moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. After the dismal performance of Hyderabad based franchise, Sunrisers appointed him as the captain ahead of IPL 2015. He led his team well in the first half but couldn't help SRH qualify for the playoffs.

In the 2016 IPL, Warner defined the meaning of a captain leading his team from the front. As a result, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 edition of IPL. Warner was the second highest scorer of the season scoring 848 runs in 17 games. His appointment as captain has done wonders both for the franchise as well as for him. Warner continued his tremendous form winning his second orange cap. David missed the 2018 season of IPL due to ball-tampering and would love to return to the Hyderabad franchise as a captain. David Warner's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 47, Wins- 25, Lost-22, Win% =57.00.

#2 Gautam Gambhir:

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The dashing batsman who made his IPL debut against Rajasthan Royals has represented 2 IPL franchises. In the 2008 player auction, Delhi Daredevils picked him along with Virender Sehwag. Delhi based franchise appointed Sehwag as their captain for the inaugural season. Gambhir captained Delhi for a considerable time before moving to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011. Kolkata appointed Gambhir as their skipper for the fourth season of IPL. Gambhir helped Kolkata win their first IPL title in 2012 beating Chennai Super Kings in the final.

. Kolkata regained their title in 2014 beating Kings XI Punjab in the final. Delhi Daredevils brought him for an INR.1.2 crore and appointed him the captain. He failed to replicate the success which he had with Kolkata. Shreyas Iyer later replaced Gambhir as the new skipper, which he grabbed at his fullest. Gautam Gambhir's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 129, Wins- 71, Lost-57, Win% = 55.03.

#3 Virat Kohli:

Image result for Virat Kohli with IPL cup

The Indian skipper who made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 is the only player in the history of IPL to play for a single franchise. RCB appointed Virat Kohli as their skipper in 2011 overtaking his predecessor Daniel Vettori. In the first season of his captaincy, Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the final of the IPL 2011 and finished as the runners-up. He was the recipient of the Orange Cap in 2016 scoring 973 runs in 16 games. RCB is one of the three franchises not to win the IPL trophy since the inception of IPL. Virat Kohli is the second highest scorer in the history of IPL scoring 4948 runs in his 163 games.

Virat Kohli's next goal would be winning an IPL for the Bangalore based franchise. Kohli leads his troops from the front scoring most of the runs for RCB. Virat Kohli's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 96, Wins- 44, Lost-47, No result- 3, Tied-2, Win% = 45.83.

#4 Rohit Sharma:

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The Indian vice-captain who made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 has represented 2 IPL franchises. He was part of the Deccan Chargers as a batsman but then moved on to Mumbai in the 2011 player auction. Mumbai appointed him the skipper in 2013 taking over his predecessor Ricky Ponting. In the first season of his captaincy, Rohit helped Mumbai win their maiden IPL trophy. In the 2014 IPL, Rohit led Mumbai reached the playoffs despite a slow start.

Rohit continued his mark in the 2015 IPL helping Mumbai win their second IPL title. His successful captaincy tenure helped Rohit Sharma become the vice-captain of the Indian team. Rohit was once again successful in winning the third IPL trophy. Rohit Sharma's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 89, Wins- 51, Lost-37, No result- 1, Win% = 57.31.

#5 Yuvraj Singh:

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The veteran all-rounder who made his IPL debut against Chennai Super Kings in 2008 has represented 5 IPL franchises. He was draft by Kings XI Punjab in 2008. Kings XI Punjab appointed Yuvraj Singh as their captain, and it worked out as Punjab reached the playoffs. He then moved to Pune Warriors India where he captained for a few matches. In his IPL captaincy tenure, Yuvraj Singh couldn't help his team reach the finals of the lavish league. In the 2014 player auction, he was the talk of the town when he was draft by RCB for 14 crores.

Yuvraj Singh's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 43, Wins- 21, Lost-21, No result- 1, Win% = 48.83.

#6 Shane Watson:

Image result for Shane Watson with IPL cup.

The Australian All-rounder who made his IPL debut against Delhi Daredevils in 2008 has represented 3 IPL franchises. He was the captain for a considerable time before handing it to Steve Smith. He was successful in helping Rajasthan reaching the semi-finals in 2015 season. Shane Watson's incredible performance came against Chennai Super Kings, scoring an unbeaten century and helping Chennai win their 3rd IPL title. He has also captained the Bangalore based franchise in the 2017 edition for three games.

Shane Watson has the experience of captaining the Australian side in the T20's. Shane Watson's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 24, Wins- 8, Lost-13, No result- 1, Tied-2, Win% = 39.13.

#7 M.S. Dhoni:

Image result for Dhoni IPL cup.

Whenever it comes to captains, M.S Dhoni remains on the top with his style of captaincy. The former Indian skipper who made his IPL debut against Kings XI Punjab in 2008 has represented 2 IPL franchises. He has captained in 10 editions missing out in the 10th season. Dhoni is the first Indian captain to win an IPL trophy. In 2010, MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians to win the 2010 IPL. He continued to make his mark winning IPL 2011, becoming the first captain ever to win 2 IPL trophies on the trot. CSK is the only team in the history of IPL to qualify for every playoff.

Dhoni along with Rohit Sharma are the only two skippers in the history of IPL to win three IPL trophies. He is also the only captain to win each of the ICC trophies. M.S. Dhoni's overall IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 159, Wins- 94, Lost-64, No result- 1, Win% = 59.11.

#8 Shaun Pollock:

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The South-African all-rounder who made his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore has represented Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Shaun Pollock was the National captain after Hansie Cronje's shocking exit in 2000. Graeme Smith later overtook the captaincy after South Africa's shocking exit from the 2003 World cup. He has scored around 7300 runs in his international career. In the 2008 player auction, Pollock was draft by Mumbai Indians. He has also captained the franchise in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh. Mumbai appointed him as the coach before the 2011 Champions trophy. He helped Mumbai win the 2011 Champions league.

Shaun Pollock's overall IPL captaincy:

Matches- 4, Wins- 3, Lost-1, , Win% = 75.00.

#9 Shane Warne:

Image result for Shane Warne with IPL cup.

The Australian leg-spinner who made his IPL debut against Delhi Daredevils in 2008 has represented Rajasthan in 55 games. Royals appointed Shane Warne as their skipper for the inaugural edition.

He led his troops for the first ever IPL title beating Chennai Super Kings in a last over thriller. He is known for his style of captaincy which helped youngsters flourish under him. Many didn't expect Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals to win the first ever IPL but some good performances from Sohail Tanvir and Shane Watson, along with Shane Warne's captaincy helped Rajasthan Royals. He played for Rajasthan Royals till 2011. In his 55 IPL games, he scalped 57 wickets at an economy of 7.27. Shane Warne's overall IPL captaincy:

Matches- 55 Wins- 30, Lost-24, Tied-1, Win% = 54.54.

#10 Anil Kumble:

Image result for Anil Kumble with Bangalore.

The former Indian test skipper who made his IPL debut against Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore. With the experience of captaining India in tests, RCB appointed Anil Kumble as the captain for the 2009 season. In his first season of IPL, Kumble helped Bangalore reach their first ever IPL finals in 2009. His 2-year captaincy tenure helped many youngsters who went on to make their debut for the Indian side. These players went on to produce great wonders as they all got a maiden call to the Indian side.

Anil Kumble announced his retirement after the 2010 IPL season, following which Virat Kohli took over him. In the 42 IPL games, Kumble scalped 45 wickets at an economy of 6.58. Anil Kumble's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 26, Wins- 15, Lost- 11, Win% = 57.69.

#11 Zaheer Khan:

Image result for Zaheer Khan with Delhi.

The Indian pacer who made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 has represented 3 IPL franchises. He is the only Indian pacer to captain an IPL team. Zaheer was draft by Bangalore in 2008 but later moved to Mumbai and again returned to Bangalore in 2011. Mumbai Indians draft him in the 2014 IPL player auction. Owing to his injuries, Mumbai left him ahead of the 2015 IPL. In the 2015 IPL player auction, Zaheer found a new team which gave him the captaincy role in his first season itself.

Zaheer Khan was part of 100 IPL games in which he scalped 102 wickets at an economy of 7.59. Zaheer owing to injuries was out of the squad for most of the times. He captained Delhi based franchise for the 2016 and2017 editions. Zaheer Khan's IPL captaincy record:

Matches- 23, Wins- 10, Lost- 13, Win% = 43.50

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Edited by Moderator -PJ