Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always provided a perfect launching pad for youngsters to showcase their skills against the best in the world. Since its inception in 2008, IPL has also provided a lot of exposure to the young players and has played an instrumental role in building up belief and confidence in the youngsters. Not only it has improved the skill set of players but it has also developed the leadership qualities of these cricketers. Among them, certain players got the opportunity to lead their teams from the front in the early years of their professional careers.
Take a look at five youngest captain of IPL history:
Virat Kohli, 22 years: One of the leading name of modern day cricket, current Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, who was only 22 years and when Royal Challengers Bangalore appointed him as their captain in 2013. He was made vice-captain of the team. After former RCB skipper Daniel Vettori’s retirement he was appointed as the captain of RCB. Thus, a 22-year-old Virat Kohli became the youngest man to lead an IPL team.Under Kohli’s captaincy, RCB have won 55 out of 125 matches while losing 63 in the match.
Steve Smith, 22 years: Former Australia captain Steve Smith was named as captain of Pune Warriors India when he was 22-years-old. In the 2012 IPL the regular skipper, Sourav Ganguly was replaced as captain after the team’s 6 consecutive losses. So Smith was given the role of leading the team. Later in 2018 Smith was given the opportunity to became the captain of Rajasthan Royals. He won 25 out of 43 IPL matches under his leadership.
Suresh Raina, 23 years: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ‘Chinna Thala’ became IPL captain when he was 23, during the absence of MS Dhoni due to an elbow injury in IPL 2011. He
was also signed for the Gujarat Lions after the suspension of CSK in 2016. He captained the team for one season. Raina remained consistent with batting as he scored 399 runs in 15 innings. In his captaincy stints, he won 14 out of 34 matches.
Shreyas Iyer, 23 years: When Delhi Capitals handed over the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer, his age was 23 years. Since his debut in 2013, he has been leading the batting charts in the domestic circuit with his unbeaten batting skills. Iyer was signed in the 2015 IPL by the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals). Later Shreyas was named captain in the middle of the IPL 2018 edition after replacing Goutam Gambhir. As Delhi did not perform well under him. Shreyas has led Delhi to victory in 21 out of 41 matches.
Rishabh Pant, 23 years: Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, at the age of 23 will become the fifth-youngest captain in the history IPL. The 23-year-old was bought by the Delhi In the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. On Tuesday Delhi Capitals announced wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant as their new captain for the upcoming edition of the IPL. Pant will lead the side in IPL 2021 in absence of their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out with a shoulder injury during the India vs England ODI series. “Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I’ve always harboured. And today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled,” said Pant.
He will captain a side which is filled with experienced players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Steve Smith. Delhi Capitals finished as runners-up in the last edition of the IPL, losing to Mumbai Indians in the final.
