3 successful international captains who failed to replicate their success while leading IPL teams
Cricket is a ruthless game. That too, T20 cricket can be relentless to such an extent that it has the potential to spoil reputations.
The capricious nature of the fortune enjoyed by captains in IPL can be well exemplified by the fact that captains who have enjoyed incredible success at the international level have found the going difficult in IPL.
While IPL has been a perfect platform for players like Rohit Sharma to establish their leadership credentials, some players who have enjoyed tremendous success at the international have seen their captaincy invite reprehension in the IPL, indicative of the brutal and competitive nature of the tournament.
Here we have a look at three international skippers who failed to replicate their success in IPL.
#1 Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was unquestionably one of the greatest captains of Indian cricket ever. Under his stellar leadership, team India enjoyed stupendous success, especially in overseas conditions. Ganguly was credited with forging a formidable unit that went on to script many a memorable performance.
His ability to galvanize a team and his in-your-face attitude propelled Indian cricket to newer heights, so much so that by the time he retired he was India's most successful test captain ever.
However, cometh the IPL and Ganguly found himself unable to replicate his international success. His own batting took a hit as he found it difficult to adjust to the fast-paced nature of T20 cricket.
Under his leadership, his IPL franchise KKR finished at the sixth position in the 2008 edition of IPL despite comprising T20 stalwarts such as Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.
As skipper of KKR, Ganguly took some decisions that were questionable. His ploy of promoting himself as an opener alongside Gayle backfired and by not sending McCullum to open the batting along with Gayle, he seemed to have missed a trick. His defensive batting approach in the powerplay overs also came under fire.
Having been replaced by McCullum in the second edition as captain, Ganguly returned at the helm in 2010. However, his team's fortunes continued to dwindle as they yet again failed to make the playoffs. His only solace was the fact that he ended up as the fourth highest run-getter that season.
Ganguly was unsold in the 2011 edition of IPL but returned in the subsequent edition as the skipper of the newly formed Pune Warriors India.
Despite a terrific start, PWI ended up as the wooden spoon holders as they could manage only four victories in 16 games. Ganguly's IPL career thus had an agonizing end.