Over the years, the Indian Premier League has become a remarkably competitive competition where the margin for complacency is narrow. There are various factors at stake, and players must inevitably provide their best. Amidst this, captains are under extra pressure to take correct decisions on the field and perform well in their primary responsibility at the same time. Therefore, captaincy debut in IPL will always be a challenging game for a player.
That said, there are a few players who get tough under pressure. There have been some cricketers who did exceptionally well in their first game as the captain of an IPL franchise. In this article, we take a look at the top five highest scorers by a player on captaincy debut in IPL.
5) 64 – Aaron Finch vs Punjab Kings
Pune Warriors India is one franchise that struggled in IPL. They had problems in the leadership department, as well. At one point, they made Aaron Finch the captain of the franchise in IPL 2013.
The Aussie actually had a memorable game on his captaincy debut in IPL. He scored 64 runs off 42 deliveries and helped his team set a target of 186 on the board. However, it was not enough as the Punjab squad crossed the line in the penultimate ball of their innings.
4) 83 – Kieron Pollard vs Punjab Kings
Kieron Pollard is an experienced man in the competition but only made his captaincy debut in IPL 2019. Rohit Sharma missed that game, and Siddesh Lad came in his place.
Pollard played one of his trademark innings in that encounter. While everyone around him was struggling, the West Indian scored 83 runs in 31 balls and helped his side chase the target down on the last ball.
3) 93* – Shreyas Iyer vs Kolkata Knight Riders
The appointment of Shreyas Iyer as the captain of the Delhi unit was one of the most surprising decisions in IPL. Let alone captaincy experience, Iyer was yet to actually have a good run at the highest level of the game.
Nevertheless, the move has paid off the dividends so far. Iyer led Delhi to its maiden final in IPL 2020. In the first game as captain, he stuck 93 runs off 40 deliveries and helped his side defeat KKR convincingly.
2) 99* – Mayank Agarwal vs Delhi Capitals
It is actually under an untimely scenario that Mayank Agarwal played his first game as an IPL captain. While he himself was coming back from an injury, the team also had to contend with the absence of Mayank’s close friend and the team’s best batsman KL Rahul. Moreover, Punjab Kings had not got off to a good start in IPL.
The Karnataka lad, though, did a great job with his responsibility. A naturally attacking player, Mayank dropped anchor in that encounter and helped Punjab Kings post a competitive total. Although he lost that game, his knock of 99* against a good bowling attack and with no partners around was an exceptional achievement.
1) 119 – Sanju Samson vs Punjab Kings
It was a rather surprising call when Rajasthan Royals appointed Sanju Samson as their captain for IPL 2021. Sanju had problems of inconsistency, and there were concerns if he was fit for the role.
However, in the very first match itself, Sanju showed a new side of his game. Despite chasing a stiff target and losing partners consistently, the Kerala cricketer struck a well-made century on his captaincy debut in IPL. He failed to help RR cross the line, but the effort was top-class.
