Here is the list of team captains for IPL 2018

The IPL 2018 auctions turned out to be a mega event in the history of the tournament. Some of the biggest stars of the cricket world went under the hammer. Some big names found no takers and then there were some rookies who bagged mega deals at the auctions. The teams have worked their plans and hopefully, have their permutations sorted after the auctions.

Now, the next big task for the franchises would be to fine tune their squads  before IPL 2018. More importantly, they need to zero in on a player who they deem to see as the leader of their side for the mega event. While uncertainly largely looms over the captaincy duties of certain teams, the majority of them have found their leaders already. To begin with, the comeback team Chennai Super Kings seem to be the most sorted on this issue.

Even before the auctions had begun, the Chennai Super Kings had confirmed that they will be led by MS Dhoni. Dhoni had led CSK to the playoffs in each of the first 8 editions of the IPL. Also, under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, Chennai Super Kings lifted the coveted trophy twice.

The other comeback team, Rajasthan Royals, is most likely to go ahead with Steve Smith as their captain. Smith was the only player the Royals had retained prior to the auctions. Also, Steve Smith had led team Rising Pune Supergiant to the finals of IPL 2017.

The Delhi Daredevils head coach Ricky Ponting has confirmed that Gautam Gambhir would be leading the Delhi side. Under Gambhir’s captaincy, Kolkata Knight Riders had bagged two IPL titles. Now, Gambhir is back to where his heart belongs, team Delhi.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore, much like Chennai Super Kings, are sorted in their captaincy selections as well. Virat Kohli, the Indian captain is set to lead the RCB team. It is worth noting that Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to have played for just one IPL franchise across all editions.

The Mumbai Indians also have no reason to look beyond Rohit Sharma for their captaincy role. Rohit has led the Mumbai franchise to three title wins. Rohit will be looking forward to yet another successful stint. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad have also shown great faith in David Warner. Warner is set to lead the Orange Army for one more edition of the tournament for sure.

The Uncertainties

The only two teams who are yet to confirm their captains for the IPL 2018 are Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab. KKR do not have any solid veteran in their lineup to lead the side. In this backdrop, it is likely that Dinesh Karthik could lead the Kolkata team. As far as Kings XI Punjab are concerned, they have two big Indian names in their side. Either R Ashwin or Yuvraj Singh could lead them in the tournament this year.

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