First-time IPL captains: Faf Du Plessis, Hardik Pandya and Mayank Agarwal

This edition has seen lof of changes across teams formed, their captains, and the game format. While many franchises are playing their teams with previously led captains only, many teams have got new captains, and then there are a few getting into the shoes of captaincy for the first time with the commencement of this season. 

New seasons, new teams, and new captains

Half of the teams will have their previous captain while the other half have a new one. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals will be led by their previous captains, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant respectively.

Whereas Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans will welcome new captains in the form of Shreyas Iyer, Faf du Plessis, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya.

Although most of the above-mentioned captains have captained in IPL in one or the other season, three of them are new to the captaincy in IPL (Faf du Plessis, Mayank Agarwal, and Hardik Pandya) while two are captaining for the first time across any format (Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya). 

Faf Du Plessis: Experienced yet the first Captaincy in IPL

Faf du Plessis is captaining for the first time in the Indian Premier League, as ex-captain Virat Kohli passes on the baton to him. He has been captaining many T20 teams globally, including South Africa and World XI in international cricket.

He has captained in 79 T20 matches previously, with a win percentage of 55.76. He is a leader with a lot of experience in the bag. He had a magnificent year in IPL 2021 as CSK’s opene'r along with Ruturaj Gaikwad.

RCB fans will be hoping for nothing less than a first IPL trophy this year from Faf Du Plessis.

He enjoyed some of his best performances as an opener for the MS Dhoni-led side last season and it’s expected that he will be opening with Virat Kohli this season. 

Mayank Agarwal: New challenge awaits as captain

Mayank Agarwal has been one of the key players for his franchise Punjab King, under captaincy of KL Rahul. The franchise has been least stable in terms of the captaincy.

With KL Rahul taking over the captaincy role for the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants, Mayank Agarwal will be stepping in his shoes to debut as full-time captain for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022.

He has played 100 games and scored over 2131 runs in his record for the Indian Premier League, and now is all set to lead the team from the front.

The team has undergone a massive transformation with KL Rahul departing to add big guns like Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, and Liam Livingstone to their team.

“It is not going to be easy [for Mayank Agarwal]. They are one team, who over years, has not done justice to their talent. The reasons, we don't know. In T20 format, it is just that sometimes you need that element of luck,” commented Gavaskar on PBKS’ performance throughout the seasons.

Hardik Pandya: All set for Captaincy after passing the yo-yo test

The new franchise Gujarat Titans picked Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their captain. He had played for India across different formats before the injury and in IPL for Mumbai Indian.

A new role as captain might give him a new opportunity to project himself as a future captain for the national side. He has played 92 matches in IPL since his debut in 2015, scoring 1476 runs at an average of 27.33, and has taken over 42 wickets in 66 matches at an average of 31.26 runs.

His return as a bowler has been much awaited since his injury. Getting into the role of an all-rounder Captain for the team will be challenging yet an opportunity to make the most of the years lost in recovery. 

The Indian Premier League has been quite the event over the past few years. This year, each team will get a chance to make a fresh start with their squads of rich talent. Life as an IPL fan is always exciting and full of new things to discover each match!