The ten captains of the IPL teams are all renowned figured in world cricket. Interestingly five of the teams are being led by Indians and five by non-Indians. We bring you an analysis of the ten leaders as far as the IPL is concerned.
Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals): He is considered to be the finest captain Australia never had and his showing in the IPL has proved that what is Australia's loss is Rajasthan Royals' gain. Warne has been captain of the team since the inaugural edition in 2008 and it is impossible to visualize the team without him.
He is always there in the forefront, guiding a colleague or advising a youngster. He is the motivator supreme. He is very animated on the field and very involved with the proceedings. Warne makes it clear who is the boss but he does so in an amiable manner, cajoling his teammates to play above their potential. That is how he led Rajasthan Royals to a notable triumph in the inaugural edition when they were rated as no-hopers.
Leading from the front comes naturally to the ebullient Warne and even in his 42nd year, he is as boyishly enthusiastic about the game as ever. This keenness has rubbed off on his men, young or established and with him at the helm one would not be surprised if Rajasthan Royals emerge as one of the strong contenders even among a highly competitive field.
MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings): Indian cricket's man with the Midas touch can do little wrong even in the IPL. Thanks no doubt to his dynamic leadership qualities, CSK have the best record among all teams in the history of the competition - runners-up in 2008, semifinalists in 2009, winners in 2010. Add the Champions League title and one can understand why Dhoni is the hottest property in Indian cricket today.
His 'Captain Cool' image which has solidified over the years, his natural leadership qualities and his uncanny knack in making the right moves have all stood Indian cricket and CSK in good stead over the years. Even among the many star-studded teams, Dhoni has made CSK perhaps the most talked about squad.
Leading from the front thanks to his aggressive batting and sharp work behind the stumps comes naturally but Dhoni is no slouch when it comes down to matters of tactics and strategy which contrary to expectations are part of the Twenty20 format. He never misses a trick and it will be a surprise if CSK do not make it at least to the semifinals for the fourth successive year this time around.
Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders): After being with the Delhi Daredevils for three years and captaining them last year, it is a new challenge for Gambhir to be at the helm for the high profile KKR side. But the most expensive player in this year's IPL can be expected to deliver the goods for he is a highly competitive cricketer very much in keeping with today's game in which no quarter is asked for and none given.
Gambhir has led India in a few ODIs in the absence of regular skippers and has proved to be a capable leader high on strategic matters, cricketing acumen and man management skills. In the form that he is as he proved in the recently concluded World Cup, the left-handed attacking batsman can be expected to lead from the front and have the entire team behind him to a man.
Adam Gilchrist (Kings XI Punjab): He has been associated with Deccan Chargers for the last three years, two of them as captain but now in his new role as captain of the Kings XI, Gilchrist has displayed the same ebullience as old.
He has led Australia with success - notably on the tour of India in 2004 when the visitors became the first Australian side in 35 years to win a Test series in this country - and the general feeling is that he should have had many more opportunities had it not been for the presence of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
He has displayed his leadership skills in no uncertain terms in the IPL, leading Deccan Chargers to the title in his first year as captain in 2009 and to a semifinal slot the following year. Undoubtedly he has had some role to play in the hitherto unknown Paul Valthaty's meteoric rise for Gilchrist is an expert in man management skills and is known to give a talented player full reign to display his wares.
He has also all the other qualities of an outstanding captain - strong on strategic matters, being a keen reader of game and situations and leading from the front comes naturally to a great player like him.
Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians): If as a batsman he is without peer, as the Indian captain Tendulkar's record is decidedly mixed. He is remembered for his ethereal batting and not as an outstanding leader but when it comes to leading Mumbai Indians, he is somehow able to perform as a born captain.
He commands respect because of his exalted status and his outstanding batting skills mean that he is a natural when it comes to leading from the front. Tendulkar who has been leading the side since the inaugural edition in 2008 has the ability to get the best out of his teammates and Mumbai Indians came within a whisker of winning the IPL last year before they finished runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.
This year Tendulkar has a very balanced outfit, has made the most of the resources and the result is that Mumbai Indians are well in front of the competition. Tendulkar however knows there is a long way to go but given his capacity to inspire his team members to rise to the occasion one cannot help asking this question - Could this be Mumbai Indians' year?
Daniel Vettori (Royal Challengers, Bangalore): It is never easy being in charge of a high profile side in the highly competitive world of IPL but Vettori brings to the job all the methodical approach he has displayed as the captain of New Zealand for some time now.
As a worthy successor to Stephen Fleming, the best left arm spin bowler in the game has been able to blend the tradition of Test cricket successfully with the intuitive captaincy associated with the limited overs game. Leading New Zealand to the semifinals of the recently concluded World Cup - a campaign that included a shock victory over hot favourites South Africa in the quarterfinals - brought to the fore Vettori's captaincy skills which hinge on the fact that he is able to get the best of his team members.
As one of the leading all rounders in world cricket today, Vettori possesses the ability to play a match winning role - and also to cajole his team members to pull off similar feats.
Yuvraj Singh (Pune Warriors): As a world class player he is at the peak of his powers as underlined by the man of the tournament award in the recently concluded World Cup. But the charismatic Yuvraj has always been considered leadership material and it is only the presence of Dhoni and Sehwag that has prevented him from being elevated to national captaincy.
However he has led Kings XI in the first two editions of the IPL albeit without much success but he now faces a new challenge in taking over the captaincy of a new franchisee. Yuvraj has impressed as a natural leader with the right intuitive skills - so very important in the Twenty20 format.
He is prepared to alter the batting order or make the surprise bowling changes depending on the situation and like his batting his captaincy is aggressive and enterprising. These are early days yet in the IPL and Pune Warriors are in the middle of the points table but don't be surprised if their fortunes take a turn for the better and Yuvraj the captain and the player is a major reason for this.
Virender Sehwag (Delhi Daredevils): Given his carefree batting and his seemingly casual approach one wouldn't associate Sehwag with outstanding leadership qualities. After all captaincy involves a lot of responsibility and Sehwag on the face of it does not give the impression that he would like to be saddled with pressures. On the contrary he possesses some of the best qualities associated with leadership.
Leading from the front is obviously one and the exalted status he enjoys in Indian cricket is another. After all he can always be expected to inspire his teammates to greater efforts. But behind that casual exterior is a fiercely competitive spirit and a shrewd cricketing brain second to none.
Sehwag is one of the few to have led India to victory in his first Test as captain and has had a rather successful run in limited overs cricket too in the absence of the regular skippers. As skipper of the Delhi Daredevils during the first two IPL editions he led the side to the semifinals on both occasions - a pretty good record considering the razor sharp competition and the limitations of his squad.
Mahela Jayawardene (Kochi Tuskers): A successful tenure as Sri Lanka's leader - topped off with the runners-up spot in the 2007 World Cup - has marked Jayawardene as a thinking man's captain. Like his batting his captaincy too is marked by a lot of thought. A theoretician he may be essentially but he has the happy knack of adaptability and this is reflected in both his batting and captaincy.
In the recently concluded World Cup he hit a hundred off 80 balls - a feat not generally associated with his textbook batting style. In the same way he can be pretty innovative and enterprising with his captaincy when it comes to limited overs cricket.
Under him new entrants Kochi Tuskers are shaping well as even in the frenetic world of Twenty20 cricket a methodical approach is not out of place and Jayawardene provides the stabilizing influence along with sound judgment.
Kumar Sangakkara (Deccan Chargers): After a year's stint as captain of the Kings XI, Sangakkara has switched over to leading the Deccan Chargers. At the moment they are not having a very fruitful time languishing at the bottom but you can bet it is not for want of trying on the part of the Sri Lankan captain.
In world cricket today there can hardly be a more fiercely competitive cricketer than the former Sri Lankan captain who has just led his country to the runners-up slot in the World Cup. Sangakkara just hates to lose and doesn't miss a chance to get under the skin of the opponents.
With all this, he is extremely knowledgeable about the finer points of the game, is always thinking of ways and means to get a batsman out and is not unafraid of indulging in a bit of gamesmanship - always within the rules though!
He has all the qualities of a potentially successful captain - leading from the front, very good at man management skills and shrewd in matters of strategy and tactics. Don't be surprised if there is a quick turnaround in the fortunes of Deccan Chargers.
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