5 Unexpected players who captained IPL teams

While Indian Premier League (IPL) has begun with a power-packed face-off between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, it has reinvigorated the lost energy among the cricket enthusiasts after a five-month-long hiatus.

Since the marquee event brings along with itself a lot of added pressure from the fans, every team management needs to burn their midnight oil during the auction to ensure that the franchise is able to match up the expectation of its die-hard fans.

On that note, here is a list of five extravagant players who had donned the captain’s hat for a very short time and had outworn the same within the wink of your eyes. From the likes of David Miller and Murali Vijay to Shaun Pollock and Ricky Ponting, they all have shouldered the captain’s responsibility. However, nobody comes even close to the name of these players mentioned below.

Let’s check it out:

1. James Hopes

Kings XI Punjab traded in the lanky all-rounder in the opening season for his phenomenal performance while representing his national team. The right-handed batsman amassed 221 runs in 11 matches at an impressive strike rate of 149.32 in the first season. Later, he had to pull out of the contest due to major injury.

Making a come-back in 2011 for the then Delhi Daredevils, the southpaw was given the charge of vice-captaincy of the squad. In the same year, he went on to lead his knights in the absence of batting masterclass Virender Sehwag. However, the team tasted bitter defeat in the crucial two of three games.

Despite the fact that Hopes’ captainship career was not a big hit, his contribution to the shortest format of the game cannot go unnoticed. All in all, he scored 417 runs in total 21 appearances in IPL with his willow at a stellar average of 26.06.