In a tournament such as IPL where elite players from different countries compete, change in personnel is something the teams are used to. The franchises don’t hold back when it comes to winning the league by any fair means. If they feel a particular combination isn’t working, they will tinker with the line-ups without a second thought.
The same logic applies when the topic surrounds captaincy. Although some teams change skippers due to injury, some are changed because of underwhelming performances. However, when the reason becomes ‘unavailability’ or players returning due to injury, the franchises don’t have a choice.
Also Read: IPL 2021 In UAE: New Schedule, Squads, Live Streaming And Venues
Here are three such teams who will undergo changes at the helm during the UAE phase of IPL 2021:
1) Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have performed on a consistent basis for the last couple of years. Before the IPL 2021 was suspended, they were comfortably sitting at the top of the table with 6 wins in eight games. To add to that, they’ll be receiving a shot in the arm when Shreyas Iyer returns to competitive cricket.
Shreyas was sidelined due to a shoulder injury he suffered during the India-England series, just a few weeks before the IPL 2021. As a result, he couldn’t take part in the IPL and had to undergo surgery as well. Following successful surgery, the Mumbaikar is likely to make a comeback for the UAE phase.
Shreyas has had a good time captaining Delhi, leading them to 23 wins out of 41. Although his absence was rarely felt due to Pant’s leadership, he’s likely to take the reins once he passes his fitness tests.
2) Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH is probably the only team that’ll be happy with the postponement of IPL. They were in a terrible spot, languishing at the bottom of the table. Nothing seemed to go their way in the first phase, with just a solitary win from seven games.
Although they have a chance to reset and put things into order, SRH were dealt a major blow when foreign cricket boards decided to deny permission for their players to participate in the cash-rich league. This decision will likely mean that David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Jonny Bairstow will be out of the league.
With two of these having captained the side before, their absence likely means that SRH will have a tough time in appointing the new captain. Luckily for them, however, SRH has a couple of experienced options in Jason Holder and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. They’re likely to be donning the captain’s hat come UAE phase.
3) Kolkata Knight Riders
The Knight Riders have had a horrid season as well. They’ve completely failed to click as a unit. As a result, they’re perched on the 7th spot, with a couple of wins out of 7 games. On paper, they are touted as one of the strongest sides. What they’ve lacked so far has been execution.
Things however are getting worse for KKR with star bowler, Pat Cummins, announcing his unavailability for the UAE leg. Their captain, Eoin Morgan, is also set to miss out after ECB director Ashley Giles hinted at a possible exclusion of English players for the IPL.
With no other player except Dinesh Karthik having had experience captaining a squad before, KKR have a big decision to make. He was KKR’s captain in IPL 2020 until Eoin Morgan took over midway through the league stage. For now, he looks like the front-runner to take the job.