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The Indian Premier League didn't have the same amount of fanfare or craze around it when it first came on to the scene. The organizers had to work hard to get people to know that they meant serious things and the IPL was going to last for a long time. They needed creative ideas, big-name players, celebrity support and a great standard of T20 cricket in order to please the crowds who are the backbone for such initiatives.
What they aimed for happened and the IPL is now one of the most cash-rich and influential leagues in the world. Not all players can get through to the Ranji teams due to a variety of reasons and before the IPL came, that was the base camp for selection.
The IPL offered an alternate route where players came under the radar of teams' scouts and were often invited for net sessions with the team and if they liked what they saw, they would get the player into the side offering him a substantially huge sum.
Though the brands and sponsors had some effect, it was the brilliant players and captains of the teams who attracted more attention with their entertaining brand of the game. Yet, all these players played within the spirit of the game and the friendly camaraderie between players was another reason for the league's popularity.
On that note, let us take a look at who were the first 8 IPL captains and where they are now.
#8. VVS Laxman- Deccan Chargers
VVS Laxman led his hometown based side, the Deccan Chargers for the first IPL season. The team though had a torrid time and could notch up only 2 wins from 14 games. They lost all of their last 7 games of the season and finished at the bottom of the points table.
Laxman played only the first 6 matches of the tournament but suffered an injury which ended his season prematurely. Adam Gilchrist led the team for the remaining matches. He scored 155 runs in the 6 games he played averaging 31 and made one half-century.
He played for the Deccan Chargers for the next couple of seasons and played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL 2011 and hasn't played in the IPL since.
The wristy batsman retired from international cricket in the year 2012 and boasted of great stats before retirement. He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 2011. Laxman was appointed as one of the three members of the Cricket Advisory Committee of the BCCI alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
A stylish batsman during his playing days, Laxman has been active in Indian cricket ever since retirement and is also a popular commentator and analyst. He is also the mentor of IPL team, the Hyderabad- based Sunrisers Hyderabad.
#7. Rahul Dravid- Royal Challengers Bangalore
'Mr. Dependable' Rahul Dravid led the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the first edition of the IPL. He was their icon player for the tournament but the Bangalore side failed to make an impact and finished 7th on the points table. They could win only 4 out of their 14 games and failed to dominate the crunch situations in matches. Dravid scored 371 runs that season and mostly played at No.3 or No.4.
He played another couple of seasons for RCB and then shifted to Rajasthan Royals where he excelled as skipper and groomed couple of youngsters under him and led the team to the playoffs once and to the Champions League T20 final in 2013. He retired from T20 after that. He announced his retirement from International and domestic cricket (barring the IPL) in March 2012.
Post-retirement, he held many coaching portfolios and is currently the Head Coach of India 'A' side and U-19 team. He led the U-19 team Uto a World Cup victory in 2018. He was also the overseas batting consultant for the Indian cricket team.
A batsman with a rock-solid defence during his playing days, Dravid has mentored many youngsters as part of the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme. He was also inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as one of the best cricketers and is a very humble person and a true gentleman of the game.
#6. Sourav Ganguly- Kolkata Knight Riders
Sourav Ganguly, fondly known as Dada, led his hometown side, the Kolkata Knight Riders for the first edition of the IPL. The side finished 6th in the season and won 6 out of the 14 games they played - one game was washed out by rain and they missed out on a playoffs berth by 2 points. Ganguly scored 349 runs from 13 innings averaging 29.08 and made 3 half-centuries.
He was demoted to a player in the 2009 season and performed poorly and so did the team led by Brendon McCullum and finished at the bottom of the points table with only 3 wins. As a result, he was reinstated as captain for the 2010 season and the team missed out on a playoffs spot due to net run rate. The southpaw performed well that season and overall, he scored 1031 runs for KKR and picked up 8 wickets.
He played for Pune Warriors India for the next seasons and after largely unimpressive performances, retired from IPL in 2012.
Post-retirement, he is one of the 4 members of the IPL's Governing Council and is also a member of the league's Technical Committee. He was inducted into Mudgal Panel to investigate the IPL spot-fixing scandal. He received the Banga Bibhushan from the West Bengal Government in 2014 and is the co-owner of ISL football team, Atletico De Kolkata.
He is now President of the Cricket Association of Bengal and President of the Editorial Board of Wisden India.
#5. Sachin Tendulkar-Mumbai Indians
Sachin Tendulkar led the Mumbai Indians in the first edition of the IPL. He was absent for the first half of the tournament and played only 7 matches in the tournament. He scored 188 runs in 7 matches averaging 31.33. Sanath Jayasuriya's great performances gave Mumbai a chance of qualifying for the playoffs but they lost out to the Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) by 1 point.
Tendulkar played for the Mumbai Indians till the year 2013 and led the team to the finals in IPL 2010. He won the Orange Cap, the Best Player and the Best Captain award. He scored his only hundred against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 and retired from the IPL after the 2013 season and made his last appearance for the Mumbai Indians in the 2013 Champions League T20.
He retired from International cricket in 2013 and bid a tearful farewell to his world of supporters and the entire cricketing fraternity. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He is a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee of the BCCI and was also a mentor of the Mumbai Indians. He was also the co-owner of ISL side Kerala Blasters.
#4. Virender Sehwag- Delhi Daredevils
Dashing opener Virender Sehwag led his hometown team, the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for the first IPL season. The Delhi side made it to the playoffs after securing 15 points and finishing 4th in the group stage of the tournament. They failed to make it to the finals as the lost to Rajasthan Royals in the semi-finals. Sehwag scored 406 runs in 14 innings averaging 33.83 in the season.
The attacking opening batsman led the team to the top of the table in 2009 but his poor individual performances made him transfer the captaincy to Gautam Gambhir for the third edition of IPL.
Sehwag was retained and made captain once again and stayed in that position until he moved to the Kings XI Punjab in 2014. He last played an IPL match in 2015 and has played for DD and KXIP in his IPL career. He has scored 2728 runs in his IPL career from 104 matches averaging 27.55.
He officially announced his retirement from International cricket in October 2015 and post-retirement, he mentored the Kings XI Punjab. He is now managing Sehwag International School which he started in 2011 while actively taking part in cricket shows and also on social media expressing his views.
#3. Yuvraj Singh- Kings XI Punjab
Yuvraj Singh led the Kings XI Punjab for the first edition of the IPL. The all-rounder was their icon player for the season and the team finished second on the points table but lost to the Chennai Super Kings in the semi-finals.
The southpaw picked up 3 wickets and scored 299 runs in 15 matches in the inaugural edition of IPL. He performed even better in 2009 and picked up 2 hat-tricks and took 6 wickets and scored 340 runs as his team missed out on a playoffs spot narrowly.
Yuvraj played another season for Punjab before moving to Pune Warriors India in 2011. After a poor season, he was diagnosed with cancer and waged a courageous battle with cancer and survived the deadly disease. He was bought by RCB for INR 14 Crore in 2014 and in 2015, DD signed him for 16 crores. He then played a couple of seasons for the Sunrisers Hyderabad before moving to the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018.
He had yet another paltry outing there and was released by the team ahead of IPL 2019. He was bought by the Mumbai Indians for the base price and will feature for them this season. The upcoming edition of IPL will be his last chance to get on the bus to World Cup 2019.
#2. MS Dhoni - Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni, the most successful IPL captain, was the most expensive player in the first edition of IPL and led the Chennai Super Kings all the way till the finals. They finished third on the points table and beat KXIP to book a finals berth against Rajasthan Royals against whom they lost. Dhoni scored 414 runs and the team won the Fairplay Award that season.
After the inaugural edition of the tournament, Dhoni has won several trophies for both CSK and for India and is a fan favourite in all parts of the country. He has won 3 IPL trophies including the latest one in 2018 and 2 Champions League titles with CSK.
He played for the Rising Pune Super Giants during CSK's suspension but failed to get going and just when it seemed that his T20 form was declining, he came back with a stunning performance in 2018 at a stunning average of 75.83.
In the upcoming season of the league, Dhoni will want to lead CSK to their fourth title and at the same time, focus on the World Cup where he will be an integral part of the squad.
#1. Shane Warne-Rajasthan Royals
Shane Warne, who retired from international cricket in 2007, led the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2008 and led them to the title both as a captain and as a bowler. The Royals were at it right from the start and finished 1st on the points table. They won the inaugural edition of the IPL after beating DD and CSK in the semi-finals and finals respectively.
Warne played for the Royals for the next 3 seasons before playing his last season in 2011. He took a total of 57 wickets in 55 matches for the team. He also played for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
He now acts as a commentator and analyst in pre and post-match shows and is ever active on social media expressing his views. He also takes care of the Shane Warne Foundation which helps the underprivileged and is also the mentor of the Rajasthan Royals side.
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