IPL 2019: Rating the captain of each team

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to start its 12th edition in a couple of weeks and the excitement is in the air. The tournament has a great prelude in the form of the India vs Australia series and the performances of players who are World Cup probables will be put under the scanner.

Last season was a very important one as two teams, the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals returned from suspension to the joy of fans. More than the excitement surrounding the event, the fact that Dhoni was back as captain at his adopted home certainly meant a lot to everyone.

This season might see some changes at the helm and there might be few surprise captaincy decisions on offer.

Let's now rate the captains for IPL 2019.

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Kings XI Punjab- Ravichandran Ashwin

Rating: 6.5/10

Ravichandran Ashwin

The Kings XI Punjab had a season of two halves and while they dominated and topped the table in the first, they dropped down to 7th place and ended yet another disappointing season without qualifying for the playoffs. While their poor middle order batting and lack of support for Andrew Tye in the death bowling unit robbed them of all their chances, skipper Ashwin must accept responsibility for having a poor season both as a player and as a captain.

Ashwin must have done better while defending totals as he lowered the intensity and failed to apply enough pressure on the batsmen with proper field placements. Performance-wise, he picked up just 10 wickets at an economy of 8.09 and scored just 102 runs.

He looks the weakest of all the captains and this season might see the KXIP staff try something new and give the captaincy to someone like David Miller or KL Rahul.

The pressure will be on him to perform and he hasn't had a great year in international and domestic cricket and hasn't really shone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy either.

Rajasthan Royals- Steve Smith

Rating: 7.5/10

Steve Smith

The Rajasthan Royals will be bolstered by the return of Aussie Steve Smith from a 1-year ban and he will lead the Royals this season.

Ajinkya Rahane was made the captain after Smith's involvement in a poor show of sportsmanship led to his shunning for a season. Rahane didn't really flourish both as a batsman and a captain and was middling in both. They somehow got through due to the performance of their English overseas players and some fighting spirit shown by their youngsters.

Smith's return spells good for everyone especially Rahane whose burden has been removed. Most importantly, it will give Smith confidence ahead of the World Cup which looms ahead and this IPL will be the most crucial one in his life. He led RPSG to the final in IPL 2017 and though he's unlikely to captain Australia, he will want to prove himself here and that fire will ensure good performances.

One slight matter of concern will be his recent fitness struggles and the fact that he hasn't played any international cricket in a long time and that may have an impact on his performance for the first couple of games.

Delhi Capitals

Rating: 7.5/10

Shreyas Iyer plays an audacious shot

The Delhi Capitals found a solution to their leadership problems amidst the chaos of last season and despite being knocked out, managed to finish strong. Shreyas Iyer, was made the skipper after Gautam Gambhir decided to drop himself after unsatisfactory performances and left the huge burden on the young Mumbaikar's shoulders.

Iyer delivered both as batsman and as captain though Rishabh Pant's batting outshone him. Iyer has been in good form ahead of this season with live-wire domestic performances including 148 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 match, breaking innumerable records with his knock.

He has continued to be ignored by the national team, a mystery for which there has been no answer because Iyer has been impressive in the few chances he has got. He's out of reckoning for a direct World Cup berth but with strong performances in the IPL, he can certainly be a backup player and prove himself.

Kolkata Knight Riders- Dinesh Karthik

Rating: 8/10

Dinesh Karthik

The Kolkata Knight Riders weren't expected to succeed last season but Dinesh Karthik and Co. managed to turn the tables on their opposition in most of the matches. Though their great spin bowling and Andre Russell's big hitting should be appreciated, it was Dinesh Karthik who led the way throughout the tournament. He was decent as a captain and managed his resources fairly well but it was his brilliant batting which stole the show.

He managed to score 498 runs at an average of close to 50 at a great strike rate. He was able to flourish in all kinds of situations and finished off games or built partnerships with ease.

This season will be all the more important for him as his place in the World Cup squad is hanging in the balance and it's a battle between him and Rishabh Pant and his exclusion from the squad for the Australia series means that he has work on his hands ahead of this situation.

Karthik has to handle both IPL and World Cup pressure if he wants to thrive this season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- David Warner

Rating: 8/10

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced that David Warner would lead them for the 2019 season. He was banned after the sandpaper gate controversy but has returned strong ahead of this season. Kane Williamson did a great job last season as a captain and as a batsman and won the Orange Cap last season.

Everyone expected Williamson to lead the Orange Army this season but Warner was announced as their skipper. Warner played in a lot of T20 leagues during his ban and has stayed in touch with the game.

He needs to get some runs under his belt to be in good form ahead of the World Cup and the IPL will be his platform to do that. He hasn't played much top-level cricket since his ban and his latest injury and exit in the BPL will be a cause of concern but Warner already led SRH to the title in 2016 and won the Orange Cap twice and can surprise everyone with a great season.

Mumbai Indians- Rohit Sharma

Rating: 8.5/10

Rohit Sharma

The Mumbai Indians had a rather middling outing last season and missed the playoffs berth by a whisker. Despite possessing a strong team, something was lacking and the team has gone all out to ensure it doesn't happen this season. After acquiring De Kock from RCB, they look a much stronger team and all eyes will be on how skipper Rohit Sharma will do this season.

Rohit seemed out of sorts last season and made just two 50+ scores and scored only 286 runs, batting mostly at No.4 since he failed to open the batting. He has been in great form for Team India, though and will want to get back into top gear this season and please his fans. Rohit is set to open the innings along with De Kock this season and will be raring to go in their home match against Delhi. He has been a highly successful captain and will want to lift the title this season.

Chennai Super Kings- MS Dhoni

Rating: 9/10

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has always been the best and most followed captain in the entire league. He has been at the helm of a few master strokes, innovations and breeding of young talents under his leadership. Dhoni completed his emphatic and emotional return to CSK last season with a tremendous performance both as batsman and as a captain. He was a flash behind the stumps and though some of his plans backfired, the calmness was never lost.

He was back at his best in striking the ball and scored 455 runs last season at a strike-rate of 150 and a staggering average of 75. He has been in good nick for team India and will be fresh and ready for the IPL after having been rested for the last 2 ODIs. All eyes will be on Dhoni when the Super Kings take on RCB in the opener on March 23rd.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Virat Kohli

Rating: 9/10

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has improved greatly as a captain and is undoubtedly the best batsman in the league. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have made all necessary signings and have beefed up their squad ahead of this season and Kohli will want to win the trophy which has been eluding him for a long time.

He has had a great year as the skipper of the Indian team and more as a batsman and has broken innumerable records in the time. Last season saw the RCB seriously understaffed in their death bowling and there were few selection errors which need to be corrected this time around. Marcus Stoinis should open the batting along with Parthiv so that Kohli bats in his best position at No.3.

Kohli's fire to win will further be fueled by his desire to gain momentum ahead of the World Cup and he will be the biggest player to watch out for this season.