Indian captains stare at fresh challenges

KL Rahul, the ODI finisher, has been calmness personified, but in the Indian Premier League, he is an intriguingly unfinished story.

- Somshuvra Laha

KOLKATA: KL Rahul, the ODI finisher, has been calmness personified, but in the Indian Premier League, he is an intriguingly unfinished story. The conviction in playing the batting anchor is laudable, as has been the selflessness in keeping wickets to free up another slot in the playing XI. Quite a few big innings, but not enough landmark wins as captain; Rahul's career has been missing that one defining moment of triumph that leaders are identified with. And so, a journey that has so far traversed four franchises is now checking in at Delhi Capitals, where he will play under a fresh leader in Axar Patel.

As many as five out of the 10 IPL franchises are starting this season with new captains. Rishabh Pant switched from DC to Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping ₹27 crore in the IPL auction, while Shreyas Iyer was picked up by Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore.

Royal Challengers Bangalore has entrusted Rajat Patidar for the job, while, out of nowhere, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders signed the unsold Ajinkya Rahane as captain after breaking the bank (₹23.75 crore) for Venkatesh Iyer. Each of these changes is massive in the pretext of how the respective teams fared last year.