The race is certainly on and if reports are to be believed we will surely be having an additional team come the next season of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021. The new franchisee would want a strong leader who could also act as the brand of the team. The management would certainly be looking at players who could deliver immediate results. We at Stumpsandbails believe these are the 5 players, that the new franchisee would be looking at as their captain.
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5: Ajinkya Rahane
He was once Rajasthan Royals batting mainstay. The entire team revolved around his solidity. But after a couple of mixed seasons, the RR management let Ajinkya Rahane go. He was brought in by the Delhi Capitals franchise. Unfortunately, Rahane didn’t have a great season, except for one good knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore. As the next year would also see a mega auction, chances of him being retained by DC look slim.
This may prove beneficial for Rahane as he may be the right candidate for the captaincy. He is someone who lets the bat do the talking. A team man to the core, Rahane can certainly prove to an ideal man to lead a new franchise.
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4: Kane Williamson
Now, this is a tricky one. Kane Williamson led the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchisee with aplomb in 2018 and 2019. But the franchisee decided to hand over the reins back to David Warner in 2020. While Williamson had to sit out the first half of the IPL thanks to injury concerns and team combination. He proved his worth in gold during the key knockout games of IPL 2020.
Whether Williamson will be one of the key players to be retained by SRH or will they let him go? This would decide Williamson’s availability for the new franchisee coming in. Kane Williamson is a fantastic captain and his statesmanship was for everyone to see during the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2019.
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3: Ravichandran Ashwin
Another one of current Delhi Capitals players, Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the finest readers of the game. He had even led Kings XI Punjab with much gusto during IPL 2018 and IPL 2019. A bowler’s captain, Ashwin always looks to stay ahead of the opposition. He had a great IPL 2020 for DC, wherein he showed that he still has the skills to succeed in T20 cricket.
DC has built its core around Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant with Axar Patel also fitting in nicely. In this scenario, it does look likely that Ashwin would be released from DC heading into the player auctions. This may enable the new franchisee to bid for the off-spinner and name him their captain.
2: Manish Pandey
This may come as a surprise for many Sunrisers Hyderabad fans. But the fact of the matter is that Manish Pandey, who was bought for ₹11 Crores ($1.48 million) in the IPL 2018 players auction, has flattered to deceive. He hasn’t performed as consistently as the Hyderabad franchisee would have liked him too.
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The core of SRH is built around David Warner, Rashid Khan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. So the management may release Manish Pandey ahead of the player auctions. They may still want to buy him back at a lower price using the Right to Match (RTM) card. But therein lies the opportunity for the new team to bid for Pandey and get him to lead their team. Pandey has previously led Karnataka to T20 glory in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This is something that will play on the minds of the new franchise.
1: Suresh Raina
He was once known as Mr. IPL. Suresh Raina was Chennai Super Kings’ go-to man. He was their most capped player at one point in time. He held the distinction of not missing a game for CSK. But it all fell apart this year when he had irrevocable differences with the management in UAE ahead of IPL 2020. There have been multiple reports which suggest that CSK have severed ties with Raina. Raina no longer features in their scheme of things.
This may prove to be a blessing in disguise for Suresh Raina. As he will be available in player auctions ahead of IPL 2021. The new franchisee may look at brand Raina and the emotion surrounding him to build their team. He could be a great captaincy choice, as Raina himself would be looking for revenge and redemption.
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