Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises mostly offer the role of captaincy to the cricketers, who have done this job for their country. Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli are examples of the same. They all have led their country at an international platform, and now, they are leading an IPL franchise.
But some players haven’t got the opportunity to be an IPL captain though they have led their respective national teams. However, it’s not necessary that if you have been skipper of your team, you might also captain in the cash-rich league.
Here, in this article, we look at three such international captains who have never led their IPL team.
AB de Villiers:
AB de Villiers has been part of the IPL since the league’s inaugural edition. From 2008-10, he played for Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals). In 2011, he shifted his base to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). And, now, he has become a pivotal player for RCB. There are massive fans of the flamboyant batsman from Bangalore. However, AB never got the opportunity to lead an IPL team.
Well, the Proteas was the captain of his country before he retired from international cricket in 2018. Under his captaincy, South Africa had enjoyed immense success. He led the team in 100 international matches out of which South Africa won 69. Perhaps, he is yet to show his captaincy stint in IPL.
Talking about his credentials in IPL, de Villiers has, so far, played150 IPL, scoring 4395 runs at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of over 150.