IPL 2024 new captains: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill & Pat Cummins
Plus, Rishabh Pant, who was confirmed as captain of the Delhi Capitals on March 19, just four days before DC's first match in IPL 2024 on Saturday (March 23).
The countdown to the 17th Indian Premier League has brought with it some major announcements and much drama, most recently of Chennai Super Kings naming Ruturaj Gaikwad their captain instead of CSK Thala MS Dhoni. CSK, of course, isn't the only camp regrouping under a new captain this IPL. Hardik Pandya has replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians. Shubman Gill has been elevated to captain of Gujarat Titans after Hardik Pandya transferred from the Titans to the Mumbai franchise for an undisclosed but reportedly eye-popping figure. Sunrisers Hyderabad paid Rs 20.5 crore for Pat Cummins in the 2023 IPL Auction, and named him captain of the side in early March. Rishabh Pant was declared fit to play cricket just before the IPL. Delhi Capitals confirmed that he is also returning as captain of the side on March 19 - with four days left till DC's first IPL 2024 match. Each new captain has a cross to bear, and much to prove. (Image source: X/@srhfansofficial)
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Latest thing first: MS Dhoni has been signalling a change in his role at CSK for some time now. On March 21, CSK announced that MSD will step down as captain, and 27-year-old batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will take the mantle from him. Ruturaj has some very big shoes to fill. Also, the last time someone replaced Dhoni as CSK captain, things didn't go so well for the Chennai franchise. Ruturaj will have to prove himself with the bat as well as his leadership of a team that's packed with experienced players who've played a lot more cricket for a lot longer than he has. (Image source: X/@Ruutu1331, his Twitter handle)
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The internet still can't stop talking about Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians, a mega successful IPL franchise with five title wins. The captaincy change is being followed so closely that even Pandya reaching out to his India team senior and the two hugging during MI team practice made the news. Pandya, too, has very large shoes to fill. (Image source: X/@hardikpandya7)
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Shubman Gill's elevation to captaincy could be just the ticket for the 24-year-old power hitter. Since 2018. Gill has played 91 IPL matches, scoring an average of 37.7 runs a game. His 'most runs scored in an IPL season' came with the Gujarat Titans last year when he hit 890 runs at a strike rate of 157.80 to get the Orange Cap. (Image source: X/@ShubmanGill)
Pat Cummins is new to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sunrisers Hyderabad finished 2023 at the bottom of the IPL Points Table, winning just four out of 14 matches. With players like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Umran Malik, Cummins will try to lead the Hyderabad franchise to its second IPL title - they first won in 2016. (Image source: X/@SunRisers)
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Rishabh Pant isn't new to Delhi Capitals captaincy, but he is returning after a 14-month hiatus during which he had to recover from a horrific car accident and become playing-fit. Delhi Capitals welcomed him back into the team in early March, but didn't confirm his captaincy till three days before the start of IPL 2024. India and the world will be watching how Pant plays and leads. (Image source: X/@DelhiCapitals)
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Delhi Capitals play their first game of IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings in Mohali on March 23. DC and PBKS have gone head-to-head 32 times in the past, with each team winning 16 times. (Image source: X/@DelhiCapitals)
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