IPL 2022: 5 Prodigies who hard-earned captaincy for this season

The cricket world is on the brink of witnessing one of the most highly-anticipated franchise tournaments of all time. The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence in less than 48 hours, and speculations over various possibilities amongst cricket pundits are skyrocketing. The rejuvenated edition is arriving with a lot of freshness, a new format, updated rules, additional franchises, and new captains leading the packs. These are a few of many aspects that betters the 15th edition from the rest.  

In a 10-franchise affair, four sides retained their trust in the skippers from their previous editions, while others picked the new ones. Franchises like MI had no reason to doubt their leaders; Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals also opted to bestow their faith on Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, respectively. Sunrisers Hyderabad indeed has a strong heart as they have continued with Kane Williamson, who had a forgettable outing as a skipper last season.  

Meanwhile, the other teams decided to pick new ones and try their luck under the leadership of new faces. There is little doubt that the responsibility to lead the side in such a crucial tournament comes without a strong resume, and few have earned the top post after performing and proving their worth in the past.

CricTracker lists five such prodigies for whom leading the side is not a ‘good-luck’ but ‘, hard-earned,’ responsibility.  

5. Mayank Agarwal – Punjab Kings

The 31-year-old was picked by the Punjab franchise in 2018, and ever since, Mayank Agarwal has been providing his services to Punjab Kings. He has consistently performed for the team and played under players like R Ashwin (captain- 2018, 19) and KL Rahul (captain – 2020, 21).

As Rahul parted his way with the franchise before IPL 2022 auction, PBKS retained Agarwal and rewarded him with the captaincy. Agarwal’s stint with Punjab saw a gradual improvement with every new edition. He could only score 120 in 11-matches at an average of 12.00 in the 2018 season, 332-runs in 13 matches, 424-runs in 11 games, and 441 runs in 12 games in successive editions.

Punjab franchise will look to better their track record under the leadership of Mayank Agarwal and would be hoping to end their title drought.

4. Sanju Samson – Rajasthan Royals

Three centuries in the league speaks volumes of his talent. The 27-year-old has earned some impressive records to his name; in 2013, while playing for Rajasthan Royals, he scored 63-runs from 41 balls, becoming the youngest player in IPL to score a half-century. Sanju Samson was rewarded with the Best Young Player award of 2013 with 206 runs and six stumpings from 10 innings.  

In the next edition, he was the joint top-run scorer for the side after scoring 339 runs in 13 matches. While playing for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2016, he scored his maiden T20 century, and the next edition saw him finishing as the top-run scorer from the franchise with 386 runs. He has been a top-run scorer for the side in several editions, and the previous edition brought the best out of him.  

Samson scored a ton in his first match as skipper and achieved the rare feat of becoming the first IPL captain to hit a century in his first match at the helm. He was again a top-run scorer for the side after scoring 484 runs in 14 games. Undoubtedly, Sanju Samson is a promising cricketer in the IPL circuit. He will be keen to change the fortunes of his franchise by lifting the title that will also be a fitting tribute to the franchise’s first skipper Late Shane Warne who won the only title for the Royals.

3. Faf du Plessis – RCB

Former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis has a solid reputation behind him. He was appointed as the full-time skipper of South Africa’s T20 team in February 2013 and led the side to the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2014. He led the national side to two series wins in New Zealand, one in Australia and a 3-0 sweep in Sri Lanka during the 2016/17 season.

Overall, he led South Africa in 36 Tests, 39 ODIs, and 40 T20Is, of which South Africa won 18, 28 and 25, respectively. He has a tremendous track record while playing with his previous franchise Chennai Super Kings. Du Plessis was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2021 season of the tournament. His opening pair with Ruturaj Gaikwad was instrumental in the franchise’s title triumph.

In 16 matches, he scored 633 runs at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20. Also, Du Plessis is an exceptional fielder on the ground, which will help to inspire others as well. RCB will be hoping high from the South African to use his rich experience of winning the title with CSK.

2. Rishabh Pant – Delhi Capitals

The youngest of all. Rishabh Pant is one of the most promising chaps in Indian cricket and is often regarded as a probable candidate to lead the side in the future. His assistance to skipper Rohit Sharma during DRS reviews has earned high praise for the wicketkeeper, and his swashbuckling batting style in all formats speaks volumes of his talent. He has been quite consistent while representing Delhi Daredevils/Capitals.  

He made his IPL debut in 2016 and instantly rose to fame when he scored 69 runs in 40 balls in the third game against now-defunct Gujarat Lions. During the 2018 season, Pant scored an unbeaten 128 from 63 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pant’s 128 was the highest individual score by any Indian cricketer in IPL and made him the youngest to score a century in IPL.  

He was trusted with the captaincy in 2021 after Shreyas Iyer was injured and ruled out. However, Pant grabbed the opportunity and led the side to the playoffs. DC finished 3rd in the points table, and Pant earned a lot of recognition for his captaincy skills. DC management has trusted on wicketkeeper batter for the 15th edition and will be hoping Pant will make it count.

1. Shreyas Iyer – Kolkata Knight Riders

Another Mumbaikar has knocked the cricket world with his extraordinary talent and potential. Ready to carry the rich legacy of batter from the country’s financial capital, Shreyas Iyer is talented, dynamic, and possesses the quality of being a successful skipper. Iyer is in the form of his life, and Knights will expect him to carry a similar form when KKR faces MI in the season’s opener on March 26th at Wankhede Stadium.

Iyer was recently awarded Player of the Match and Series after guiding India to sweep 3-0 against Sri Lanka in T20Is. Speaking of his leadership skills, Iyer led the Delhi Capitals to the finals of the 2020 season and stamped his authority as skipper. He was one of the most-watched out players during two-day IPL auctions and was picked for a whopping Rs. 16 crore by KKR.

Iyer has earned the captaincy role due to his impressive performance with the bat in the cash-rich tournament and for showing the positive traits of a skipper. Iyer has heavy shoes to don, as the Kolkata franchise has already won two titles under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.