IPL: 5 forgotten captains

Captains call the shots on a cricket field. They marshal their troops and try to bring the best out of the team. In tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL), a role of a skipper is more important than ever as in a fast-paced T20 format, one decision can make all the difference.

Captaining a side in a high-pressure environment is not everyone’s cup of tea and when we talk about the cash-rich league, not many skippers have aced the role. The likes of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and David Warner are some of the best leaders the T20 extravaganza has seen. However, there are a few players in the IPL whom fans might not remember as captains.

Here are five IPL captains that many may have forgotten:

5. James Hopes 

James Hopes was a proven performer for Australia in the 50-overs format. The 44-year-old featured in 84 games and scored 1326 runs at a strike rate of 93.71. On the bowling front, he bagged 67 scalps at an economy of 4.53. The Queensland-born displayed his all-round prowess in the IPL as well. He smashed 417 runs in 21 games at a strike rate of 136.27 and bagged 14 wickets in the competition.

Interestingly, Hopes also led a franchise in the lucrative T20 tournament. During his stint with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2011, when skipper Virender Sehwag got ruled out of the last three games of the season, the franchise looked at the former Australian all-rounder to carry out the leadership duties.

The Delhi franchise needed to win all three games to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs. However, with Hopes at the helm, the Daredevils lost two games and one game got abandoned due to rain. As a result, Delhi were the wooden spoon holders of the season, with just nine points from 14 matches.