5 best overseas captaincy options available in IPL 2025 auction ft. Jos Buttler
Picking an overseas captain is always a prickly topic in the IPL. Only three non-Indian captains have won the league - Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and David Warner - and two were in the first two seasons.
The upside of a good overseas captain is huge because they are generally hugely popular figures and not just the team but the whole fanbase gets behind them quickly, with Warner being a prime example and Faf du Plessis the most recent one.
But recently, the risks have also become evident. Kolkata Knight Riders and Eoin Morgan as a case in point, when your non-Indian captain fails to fulfill their primary objective (in Morgan's case, scoring runs), then criticism comes loud and mighty, for not only are they failing to lead from the front but also hogging one of the precious four overseas spots.
It won't stop some franchises to go that way, though. There would be a lot of Indian captains available at the IPL 2025 auction but there's a good chance that the likes of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul won't want the pressure that comes with it anymore.
Which overseas players must then be good captaincy choices? There are a handful who have captained T20 teams before and with distinction, some are even current international captains, but we have narrowed it down to five names:
#5 Sam Curran
England all-rounder Sam Curran is one of the most underrated captains in the IPL.
Just ask Punjab Kings (PBKS) fans — they'll tell you how much better the team looked when he led them in Shikhar Dhawan's usually forced absences in the last two seasons. He has led in 11 matches, winning five and losing six — which are not bad results for an interim leader taking over a shaky, struggling team.
Although out of form in international cricket, he has gained respect as a tactically shrewd leader in English circles. Analysts and coaches rate him quite highly and he's almost like Ben Stokes -- reactive, and someone who enjoys the extra responsibility with both bat and ball.
For teams looking for a young, no-nonsense leader, who'll put his team first and contribute with bat and ball, Curran is an excellent option. A return to PBKS won't be too bad while Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) can also benefit with having someone like him.
#4 Kane Williamson
A lot has been said and written by the brilliant Warner-SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) run to the 2016 IPL win and not much about the 2018 season. The team finished top of the table with 18 points and lost only to a stunning Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side in the final -- all that despite missing Warner's batting due to his ban after the ball-tampering saga.
The man who led them that season was Kane Williamson, who was a stunning on-field leader as SRH choked almost every team with their bowling. He ended his time at the franchise with 22 wins from 46 games, a win percentage only bettered by (minimum 10 games) Warner and Pat Cummins.
Williamson, like Curran, is an earnest tactical skipper, who'll get the best out of any good team. His batting in T20s is an issue, especially with the increasing importance of sixes in the IPL but Williamson has shown before that he can keep up with the pace.
Franchises like KKR would love a captain to squeeze teams with their bowling and he'd be a great opener to partner a basher like Sunil Narine. RCB might not mind him opening alongside Virat Kohli either, especially if they are getting his calm-headedness in phases of pressure that are usual at the team.
#3 Faf du Plessis
RCB need a captain and an opener in the first place because they have let go of Faf du Plessis. The former South African skipper, despite 40-years-old, could be in demand at the IPL 2025 auction after he led St. Lucia Kings to the Caribbean Premier League title earlier this season.
du Plessis is still feared as an opener and would come to any franchise with a win percentage of 50 behind him (no mean feat given RCB's home stadium) which is only bettered by Daniel Vettori and Anil Kumble. You need to only go as far as the last season, where RCB went from 10th to qualification (their second playoffs in three years), to understand how good he can be when his team is firing.
He can be the perfect short-term captain at a franchise looking to groom a young leader, like KKR or even Delhi Capitals. Punjab Kings would have enough feedback from their sister franchise about du Plessis' leadership and in their urgent quest for trophies, they might be interested too.
#2 Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram lost some points and developed a Morgan-like image after the horrible 2023 season as captain at SRH. But still, that seems more like an aberration fueled by the fact that he didn't play a big role in building that team, than a norm.
After all, he has led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to two SA20 titles and took South Africa to the final of the 2024 men's T20 World Cup. At 30, he's in the prime of his life, and despite struggling for form of late, is a destructive T20 batter and match-winner.
Many teams can do with that kind of experience and energy. For KKR, he'd be almost a like-for-like replacement for Shreyas Iyer; for RCB, he can be the perfect number three; for PBKS too, he can be someone they can build their project around.
#1 Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is the near-perfect combination of the qualities we have mentioned for the first four options. He's an international captain and thus used to the pressure, a T20 World Cup-winning captain, among the most consistent performers in the IPL and a good on-field strategist.
Buttler has a lot going for him and there would surely be a few teams who would have either already asked him or will ask him if he's interested in taking up captaincy. Rajasthan Royals have seemingly let him go because it makes space for Sanju Samson to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
But almost every team that needs a captain next season also needs an opener-wicketkeeper, who can smash hundreds or consecutive 50s every season. Buttler might end up as one of the most expensive players in the IPL 2025 auction and if that happens, his captaincy appeal would be a prime reason for it.