Delhi Daredevils appointed captain, Gautam Gambhir, recently stepped down from his coveted post in the middle of the tournament. Retained player Shreyas Iyer has now been given the responsibility to lead the struggling side in the tournament.
Of course, this is not the first time a captain stepped down from his assigned role in the middle of the tournament.
Here’s a look at some of the other captains in IPL who had to step down due to their individual or the team’s performances.
Adam Gilchrist replacing VVS Laxman for Deccan Chargers in 2008
In the inaugural season of IPL, Deccan Chargers were one of the most batting heavy teams featuring the likes of Gibbs, Afridi, Symonds and Gilchrist.
However, Laxman leading the side, at the opening slot, could not create the balance in the side. As a result., Deccan Chargers went spiralling down in the Points Table.
Therefore, in the very first season, VVS Laxman handed over the captaincy of Deccan Chargers in between the season. Gilchrist led the Chargers towards the championship in the 2009 edition.
Anil Kumble replacing Kevin Pietersen for RCB in 2009
The price-tag of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff headlined during the auctions of 2009. Vijay Mallya seemed so buoyant with his purchase, that he appointed KP as the captain of RCB.
However, reputations did not translate into performances in the tumultuous RCB camp, which sacked Charu Sharma (coach) and Rahul Dravid (captain) in the season of 2008.
As a result, Anil Kumble had to step in for Kevin Pietersen after the Englishman stepped down from his post.
Virat Kohli replacing Daniel Vettori for RCB in 2012
From one era to another, RCB, during the season of 2012, changed their appointed captain Daniel Vettori and handed the responsibility to young Virat Kohli.
Kohli went on to lead the side ever since, as Dan Vettori now enjoys his stint as the coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Cameron White replacing Kumar Sangakkara for Deccan Chargers in 2012
After Adam Gilchrist moved up to KXIP, Sangakkara moved down from KXIP to Deccan Chargers, handling the captaincy of the team.
However, results could not reflect stature. Therefore, Australia’s Cameron White was handed over the captaincy the Deccan Charger.
Rohit Sharma replacing Ricky Ponting for Mumbai Indians in 2013
In the 2013 edition, the star-studded lineup was led by world cup winning captain Ricky Ponting. However, things did not go well within the Mumbai camp as Ponting was the successor of Mumbai Indians icon player Sachin Tendulkar.
The Ambani’s gambled with their move of appointing Rohit Sharma as the captain and the rest is history. Rohit went on to lead his side towards victory in 2013, 2015 and again in 2017.
Also, the year of 2013 went on to be his breakthrough year for Rohit as far as his International career is concerned. He went on to score three double tons in ODI career.
Darren Sammy replacing Shikhar Dhawan for SRH in 2014
With the Deccan Chargers scrapped, the Hyderabad team was known as Sunrisers Hyderabad. Still trying to find their feet in the tournament, Laxman and co. appointed Dhawan as the captain of the side.
However, the additional pressure of captaincy played its part in Dhawan’s batting. As a result, Darren Sammy took over the reigns of SRH in 2014.
Steve Smith replacing Shane Watson for Rajasthan Royals in 2015
Disgraced Australian skipper enjoyed a successful stint at Rajasthan Royals before leading the Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 season.
However, their marquee all-rounder Shane Watson was previously appointed as the captain of Royals before Steve Smith took over his role.
Murali Vijay replacing David Miller for KXIP in 2016
Murali Vijay, appointed as the captain by Preity Zinta, Sanjay Bangar and co., could not influence his side towards the top of the table. Instead, the Vijay lead team languished at the bottom of the table, gaining a reputation of giving away two points to their opposition.
Later on, the management removed Vijay from the role of captaincy and their seasoned campaigner David Miller was appointed as the captain.