IPL 2018: Kings XI Punjab announce captain! Who will lead KKR and DD?

Kings XI Punjab have announced that Ravichandran Ashwin will captain Kings XI Punjab in this year’s Indian Premier League. The bowling all-rounder, picked by the franchise for 7.60 crores INR in the 2018 auction, has emerged as a leading candidate for captaincy.

An uncanny ability to take wickets at crucial times matched with bags of experience, @ashwinravi99 is a proven winner. The New #KingOfTheNorth ladies and gentlemen! #LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi pic.twitter.com/iNaI9TH1lN

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 26, 2018

Hopefully Kit Harrington doesn’t have an objection with this. ? https://t.co/wquIRM9YOK

— Ashwin ?? (@ashwinravi99) February 26, 2018

Looking forward to the new #IPL season under our new skipper @ashwinravi99.. Congratulations and Good luck Ash.. ✌️ @lionsdenkxip https://t.co/33ExvjM5cf

— Akshar Patel (@akshar2026) February 26, 2018

Couldn’t think of a better person for the job of @lionsdenkxip captain, congrats @ashwinravi99! Can’t wait to get over there and get stuck in

— Andrew Tye (@aj191) February 26, 2018

#MondayMotivation done right! ? #KingOfTheNorth #LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi pic.twitter.com/usOXfTSysO

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 26, 2018

Congratulations @ashwinravi99. Looking forward to an exciting season at @lionsdenkxip ? https://t.co/sPDGgtEzYF

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) February 26, 2018

Congrats to @ashwinravi99 on being named @lionsdenkxip captain. Exciting few years ahead. #kxip #IPL2018

— David Miller (@DavidMillerSA12) February 26, 2018

Glen Maxwell led the team in the last edition but couldn’t inspire the team, and was released by the franchise. Maxwell’s successor Ashwin has never led in the IPL before, but has a total of 100 wickets in 111 games, at an average of 25 and an economy of 6.55.

Read IPL 2018: SWOT Analysis of the teams

Rajasthan Royals, making comeback in the IPL, had announced Steve Smith as the skipper of the side yesterday.

https://twitter.com/rajasthanroyals/status/967410996431159296

Captains of IPL Teams

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) – Ravichandran Ashwin

Mumbai Indians (MI) – Rohit Sharma

Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Steve Smith

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Virat Kohli

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – David Warner

Delhi Daredevils (DD) – NA

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – NA

*NA – Not announced

Who can lead DD and KKR?

Delhi Daredevils: Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir, who is picked by Delhi Daredevils, is the most likely candidate to lead the Delhi-based side. The coach of Daredevils, Ricky Pointing, had earlier hinted that it is likely that Gambhir will lead the team next season.

Kolkata Knight Riders: There is no one in the current KKR squad who gives the impression of filling the shoes of Gambhir. Chris Lynn has shown interest in the top job, but he has little experience to convince the team management. Sunil Narine and Andre Russell don’t have leadership credentials to get the nod. From the Indian lot, there are two candidates in Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa as the frontrunners for the profile.

Read: 5 Steal deats of IPL 2018 Auction