IPL is a platform where talent meets opportunities. The league has seen many young talents blossoming into leaders. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warner, and Steve Smith have all been groomed for captaincy during their IPL stints. It won’t be a surprise that the league might find new leaders heading into the next couple of seasons.
We look at 5 young players who can be future team captains in the IPL:
#5 Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is a T20 veteran. But that doesn’t take away the fact that he is still quite young. He became the youngest Test captain to lead his side to victory. Khan does have captaincy experience. It will be interesting to see if SRH hands him over the captaincy duties next year. They may well go ahead and do that as he has been the only constant since the past 4 seasons for them. It will surely make for an interesting choice.
#4 Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag is flamboyance personified. He is lively on the field and holds attention. Parag is still at the nascent stage of his career. He is someone who can become the face of the side. Parag’s personality is difficult to escape. If groomed well, Rajasthan Royals may have a future captain in Riyan Parag.
#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has earned his stripes the hard way. He has been a domestic workhorse. Gaikwad is one of the most consistent run-scorers in List-A cricket. His reputation in the domestic circuit earned him a CSK call-up. Gaikwad has shown enough maturity and promise to be seen as a leader. He fits in beautifully in the CSK scheme of things.
#2 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill was talked about as KKR captain even before he made his India debut. Gill has shown immense potential both as a player and as a captaincy candidate. His grace, poise, and elan make him stand out from the rest of the lot. Gill is currently going through a lean phase but expect him to come back strong. KKR mustn’t let Gill go. He is their future.
#1 Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw did something that neither Ishan Kishan nor Priyam Garg could do. He won India the U-19 World Cup under his leadership. Shaw even led Mumbai to a historic Vijay Hazare trophy win in 2021. He is someone who leads from the front. Captaincy sits well on Shaw’s shoulders. He will be on the radar for many teams in the mega auction if Delhi Capitals don’t retain him. A highly unlikely scenario!
