3 IPL 2023 captains who might have too much on their shoulders in the upcoming season
In this era of advanced analytics and predetermined strategies, on-field captaincy has taken a slight backseat, even in a tournament as high-profile as the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A few exceptions to the norm exist. MS Dhoni has never been one to pay too much attention to numbers, while Ashish Nehra and the Gujarat Titans (GT) think-tank kept things simple en route to their title triumph last year.
While tactics might have taken a backseat, they're still definitely paramount. The fact that skippers need to lead from the front and set an example with their individual displays remains as well. Unfortunately, though, a few leaders might have overflowing plates this year.
Here are three IPL 2023 captains who might have too much on their shoulders during the upcoming season.
#3 Shreyas Iyer
A massive injury cloud hovers over Shreyas Iyer in the lead-up to IPL 2023. Reports suggest that the batter, who is dealing with a back injury, has been advised to have surgery but is weighing up his options before committing to a long period of rest and recovery.
Some sources are of the opinion that Shreyas has not officially been ruled out of the upcoming season, and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) haven't named a stand-in skipper either. If the middle-order batter turns out for the franchise at some point in IPL 2023, things will be extremely difficult for him.
KKR have arguably the weakest squad on paper of the 10 IPL franchises. They have several glaring holes in all departments, and Shreyas is one of the few batters in their side who can guarantee a massive run-scoring campaign. Moreover, he is one of the few captains in the league with the ability to extract the most out of a slightly undercooked bowling lineup.
But even Shreyas has his shortcomings against express pace, like the rest of the Knight Riders batting lineup, and his fitness is also a major unknown right now. If he manages to make the grade for KKR later this year, he might have too much on his plate.
#2 Sanju Samson
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) made the final of the IPL last year, and much of that was down to Sanju Samson's superb captaincy. The 28-year-old marshaled his troops extremely well and also notched up 458 runs in an intent-rich season with the bat.
However, RR were propped up by stellar individual campaigns from Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, who walked away with the Orange and Purple Caps respectively. Several weaknesses in their lineup were compensated for by match-winning performances from the duo, something that won't be easy to replicate this year.
Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out of IPL 2023 with injury, while Trent Boult is no longer the wicket-taker he once was. RR are short on bowling firepower despite the addition of Jason Holder.
Samson is an astute leader and an excellent T20 batter, but even he might not be able to take RR to another final.
#1 Hardik Pandya
Most of Hardik Pandya's captaincy burden is self-inflicted, with the all-rounder believing he can do it all in both departments while at the helm. However, it must be said that the Gujarat Titans (GT) would not be title contenders if he didn't take on as much responsibility.
Last year, Hardik batted in the top four and bowled tough overs, including with the new ball. The same is set to continue in IPL 2023 as well, with GT not having made any high-profile acquisitions at the auction. The Titans' playing XI is likely to wear a similar look this time around, and the skipper might find himself with too much to do once again.
Hardik has been earmarked as the man to take over from Rohit Sharma at the helm of Team India, and another good IPL season could all but confirm that. At the same time, though, he needs to be careful not to bite off more than he can chew.