The role of a leader is crucial in any format of the game, perhaps more so in T-20 where the captain needs to read the game quickly due to time constraints. Captaincy in general has always been regarded as an extra burden on the player and the best batsman of a particular team is usually not given the captaincy job. Only a special bunch of players have been able to captain and contribute regularly for their team in the IPL. Scoring more than 3000 runs itself requires a lot of talent and hard work and doing it with the added pressure of being the skipper is simply extraordinary. Here we look at four players who have scored more than 3000 runs as captain in IPL,
4. Rohit Sharma – 3241 runs
The second highest run-getter in the history of IPL and the tournament’s most successful IPL leader is not far behind Gambhir in terms of runs scored as captain and could well overtake him next summer. Sharma was appointed as captain in the middle of the 2013 edition with Mumbai Indians struggling under Ricky Ponting. The rest is history as Mumbai completed a massive turnaround and won the IPL for the very first time.
Rohit also had his best-ever season with the bat, scoring 538 runs. The Hitman’s form has dipped in the past few seasons and Surya Kumar Yadav has overtaken him as Mumbai’s most reliable batsman. But as he showed in the final, Rohit can win matches on his day and with his incredible captaincy record, he is still an invaluable player for Mumbai.
3. Gautam Gambhir – 3518 runs
When Gambhir took over as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise was in total disarray having endured repeated failures under Brendon McCullum and Sourav Ganguly. The appointment of Gambhir was a masterstroke as his aggressive style lifted the club from it’s ruins and instilled fear in the minds of the opponents.
His exploits with the bat did not grab the headlines very often, but he was an efficient opener whose style of play suited his team as the Eden Gardens wicket favoured the spin during the first part of the last decade. He has played 108 innings as captain in total for KKR and averages 31.61, a slight increase from his average while not playing as a captain.
2. MS Dhoni – 4475 runs
Even during the early years of IPL, when other teams were still decoding T-20 cricket, MS Dhoni seemed like the only one who understood the format and it’s demands clearly. He was the first captain to understand the importance of spin in the powerplay and as a batsman he showed that almost any target can be chased if you know which bowler to target.
His best season with the bat came in 2013 but no cricket fan will ever forget the way he captained CSK to the title in 2018 by leading from the front with his batting. 2020 was his worst ever season as a batsman and a captain but Dhoni has shown in the recent past that he always has one more trick left in the box when everyone else thinks his career is over.
1. Virat Kohli – 4810 runs
His record as captain will always under a lot of scrutinies but no one can quite match his achievements as a batman. This IPL was a big improvement for Virat Kohli and RCB as they reached the play-offs after three seasons despite Kohli not being at his fluent best.
His best season, both as a captain and as a player, as Kohli led from the front by scoring four centuries in RCB’s run to the final. He scored 973 runs that season, a record that is likely to remain unbeaten forever.
