May 29, 2023
By: Sourabh Jain
Credit: BCCL
In this post, we compare how MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have performed in the first two years of their captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Credit: BCCL
MS Dhoni was appointed the captain of the Chennai Super Kings in 2008 in the very first edition of IPL making him the longest-standing captain for any franchise. The former India captain has managed to lead the Chennai side to four trophies till now.
Credit: BCCL
In the first two IPLs under their beloved Thala, CSK won 16 matches out of 28, with a win percentage of 57 percent. It is noteworthy here that Dhoni had led the Indian team to a T20 World Cup win in 2007 but when it came to IPL his Chennai side remained trophyless in their first two seasons. However, the subsequent couple of seasons saw them emerge champions.
Credit: BCCL
As a player, during his first two years as the captain, MS Dhoni scored 746 runs with a strike rate of 131 and finished multiple close games in CSK’s favour.
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After making his debut with Deccan Chargers in 2008, Rohit Sharma joined Mumbai Indians in 2011 and was made the team’s captain in 2013.
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In 2013 and 2014, Mumbai Indians played 30 matches and won 18, with a win percentage of 60 percent. The team also won the IPL title in 2013 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
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In his initial two years as captain, Rohit Sharma scored 928 runs with a strike rate of 131.
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Hardik Pandya made his IPL debut in 2015 under Rohit Sharma and joined the Gujarat Titans as the captain in IPL 2022 when the team made its IPL debut.
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Gujrat Titans have played 28 matches so far and have won 20 matches, with a winning percentage of 71 percent. The team won their maiden title in 2022 and are in contention for this year’s IPL title.
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Hardik Pandya has hit 812 runs with a strike rate of 133 in his two years as a captain, with one last match remaining tonight.
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If we look at only the first two years, Hardik Pandya emerges on top as the most successful captain. This just reflects that he is off-the-block quickly but we will be the first to note that he has a long way to go as both, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have proven to be leaders with longevity.
Credit: BCCL