Former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli became the youngest captain in IPL history in 2011 after he was handed the reins of Royal Challengers Bangalore temporarily. The Indian Premier League has witnessed some great cricket leaders emerging from the competition over the years with Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Suresh Raina among the most prominent names.
Below is the list of the five youngest captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Youngest captain in IPL: Five youngest leaders
| Rank | Player(s) | Age on captaincy debut | IPL Team |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 22 years, 4 months and 6 days | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2 | Steve Smith | 22 years, 11 months and 9 days | Rising Pune Supergiants |
| 3 | Shreyas Iyer | 23 years, 3 months and 21 days | Delhi Capitals |
| 4 | Suresh Raina | 23 years, 3 months and 22 days | Chennai Super Kings |
| 5 | Rishabh Pant | 23 years, a half year and 6 days | Delhi Capitals |
Virat Kohli first captained RCB at 22
Having captained the U-19 Indian cricket team to the World Cup in 2008, Kohli always had the leadership acumen but the presence of veterans like Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen and Rahul Dravid the youngsters was not in the reckoning in the initial few years. However, things changed in 2011 when the then skipper Daniel Vettori was injured for an away fixture against Rajasthan Royals and Kohli was asked to lead the side at 22 years 4 months and 6 days.
RCB had won Kohli’s first match as an IPL captain by 9 wickets with Chris Gayle running the show while Kohli remained unbeaten at 39 on the other hand. Virat Kohli had led RCB in three matches in IPL 2011, winning twice and losing one in the process. It took another two years before Royal Challengers Bangalore had made Kohli their permanent captain. Kohli captained RCB in 140 matches with a win percentage of 48.16.
22-year-old Steve Smith was the youngest foreign IPL captain
Steve Smith’s entry in the Indian Premier League was a long time pending. He was first roped in New Zealand hard-hitter Jesse Ryder’s replacement in 2010 by RCB and then as a back-up option by Kochi Tuskers Kerala the following year, but he couldn’t make many appearances during this period. After going unsold in the IPL 2012 auction, Smith was roped in by Pune Warriors India as Micthell Marsh‘s replacement and his fortune changed.
After the league campaign went south for the new franchise, captain Sourav Ganguly had decided to bench himself and Steve Smith was chosen as the new skipper owing to his brilliant overall form. Pune Warriors didn’t win that match either but Smith had gone and on to become one the youngest captains in IPL history. The Australian star would later go on to become the full-time captain of Rajasthan Royals following an impressive stint with Rising Pune Supergiants with MS Dhoni playing under him. Under coach Ricky Ponting, Smith was the captain of Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, as well. Smith has captained 43 IPL matches with a 59.52% winning rate.
Shreyas Iyer was handed the task of captaining DC at 23
The current Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer had first gotten a taste of captaincy while playing for Delhi Capitals during IPL 2018 when Gautam Gambhir had decided to bench himself owing to poor form. Iyer was only 23 years, 3 months and 21 days then, and cemented his role for the future with an unbeaten 93 in that game. The next season saw Iyer exhibiting great leadership skills to lead Delhi to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Iyer bettered the record by taking Delhi all the way to the final in the IPL 2020 season before losing to Mumbai Indians.
However, what seemed like a dream find for Delhi soon turned into ashes after Iyer was out with a shoulder injury during England’s tour of India in 2021. Delhi had to replace Iyer with Rishabh Pant as their new captain in IPL 2021 and stuck to the enigmatic wicket-keeper even after Iyer had returned from injury. Iyer comes to KKR at the back of a 53.65 winning percentage on his resume, where he led Delhi to one play-off and a final.
23-year-old Suresh Raina had captained CSK in Dhoni’s absence
Popularly known as Chinna Thala among CSK fans, Suresh Raina had been MS Dhoni’s deputy since 2010 and was always next in line to lead the IPL side. During the season, Dhoni couldn’t make it to an away fixture against Delhi Daredevils and Raina was handed the captaincy role. The southpaw didn’t let the change in roster affect the team’s momentum and went on to score 49 runs to help CSK chase a target of 186.
Raina would later become the captain of Gujarat Lions when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons. The left-handed top-order batsman would go on to lead the Gujarat franchise to the playoffs by finishing at the top of the points table, before losing to eventual winners Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier. Suresh Raina has captained 34 IPL matches with a winning rate of 44.11%.
Also read – RCB: Can they take the cup home this season? – MPL Blogs
Rishabh Pant became the fifth-youngest captain in IPL in 2021
With an injured Shreyas Iyer undergoing surgery and out for months, Delhi Capitals management had to take a call fast and Pant’s heroics in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had made him a firm favourite. The wicketkeeper-batsman didn’t disappoint either with Ricky Ponting’s think tank providing the perfect balance to the young leader’s vibrancy.
After a shaky start to their campaign where Delhi could win just three of the first six matches, the team really gained momentum. They went on to win six of their next 10 matches, which also included a four-match winning streak, to reach the play-off stages. However, Pant’s debut captaincy season ended in heartbreak as KKR defeated Delhi in the second eliminator to reach the final.
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