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Cricket is a ruthless game. That too, T20 cricket can be relentless to such an extent that it has the potential to spoil reputations.
The capricious nature of the fortune enjoyed by captains in IPL can be well exemplified by the fact that captains who have enjoyed incredible success at the international level have found the going difficult in IPL.
While IPL has been a perfect platform for players like Rohit Sharma to establish their leadership credentials, some players who have enjoyed tremendous success at the international have seen their captaincy invite reprehension in the IPL, indicative of the brutal and competitive nature of the tournament.
Here we have a look at three international skippers who failed to replicate their success in IPL.
#1 Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was unquestionably one of the greatest captains of Indian cricket ever. Under his stellar leadership, team India enjoyed stupendous success, especially in overseas conditions. Ganguly was credited with forging a formidable unit that went on to script many a memorable performance.
His ability to galvanize a team and his in-your-face attitude propelled Indian cricket to newer heights, so much so that by the time he retired he was India's most successful test captain ever.
However, cometh the IPL and Ganguly found himself unable to replicate his international success. His own batting took a hit as he found it difficult to adjust to the fast-paced nature of T20 cricket.
Under his leadership, his IPL franchise KKR finished at the sixth position in the 2008 edition of IPL despite comprising T20 stalwarts such as Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.
As skipper of KKR, Ganguly took some decisions that were questionable. His ploy of promoting himself as an opener alongside Gayle backfired and by not sending McCullum to open the batting along with Gayle, he seemed to have missed a trick. His defensive batting approach in the powerplay overs also came under fire.
Having been replaced by McCullum in the second edition as captain, Ganguly returned at the helm in 2010. However, his team's fortunes continued to dwindle as they yet again failed to make the playoffs. His only solace was the fact that he ended up as the fourth highest run-getter that season.
Ganguly was unsold in the 2011 edition of IPL but returned in the subsequent edition as the skipper of the newly formed Pune Warriors India.
Despite a terrific start, PWI ended up as the wooden spoon holders as they could manage only four victories in 16 games. Ganguly's IPL career thus had an agonizing end.
#2 Brendon McCullum
McCullum is often credited with New Zealand cricket team's stunning turnaround in international cricket.
He introduced the concept of a brash and unapologetic brand of cricket that is in line with McCullum's fearless attitude. Under his leadership, New Zealand scaled new heights as they defeated top sides and emerged as a formidable unit.
McCullum took over the reins from Ross Taylor as full-time captain in 2012. When McCullum retired in 2016, he was the second most successful Kiwi Test captain after Stephen Flemming, with 12 victories.
Under his captaincy, New Zealand reached the final of a World cup for the first time, albeit, they lost out to Australia in the final.
McCullum was also the first Kiwi skipper to score a Test triple ton. Considering his credentials, he was handed over the reins Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2009 edition of IPL, when he replaced Ganguly.
However, McCullum failed to live up the owners' expectations as KKR finished at the last position. McCullum himself enjoyed a modest tournament as he scored 285 runs at a meager average of 23.75.
McCullum was panned by critics for his lacklustre leadership and was blamed for not taking enough responsibility.
His decision to constantly tinker with his batting line-up and not backing senior players like Ganguly, who was demoted in the batting line-up often, came under fire. The theory of multiple captaincies also did not help his cause.
He was expectedly replaced by Ganguly as captain in the subsequent edition and McCullum never went on to lead any IPL team henceforth.
#3 Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene is considered to be one of the greatest captains in Sri Lankan Cricket history.
After the retirement of stalwarts such as Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, Jayawardene ushered in a new era in Sri Lankan Cricket as Sri Lanka started putting up formidable performances across formats against top teams.
In his first assignment as Lankan skipper in 2006, Jayawardene led his team to a 1-1 draw in the Test series and an emphatic 5-0 whitewash in the subsequent ODI series on English soil.
Under his captaincy, Sri Lanka reached the final of the 2007 ODI World cup and 2009 World T20. With 18 Test victories, he is Sri Lanka's most successful Test captain and second most successful ODI captain after Arjuna Ranatunga.
However, despite his stupendous success at the international level, victories eluded him in the IPL. He was made the captain of the newly formed, now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011.
Jayawardene was appointed the captain of Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2013 after Virender Sehwag stepped down. DD experienced their worst ever IPL that season as they finished last on the points table with only 3 victories from 16 matches.
Earlier in 2011, he had led the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala which ended 8th out of the 10 teams.
Overall, he was the captain for 30 matches in his IPL career but managed only 10 victories. Jayawardene's IPL captaincy career was not as rosy an affair as his stint at the international stage.
Jayawardene's performances with the bat when he was the captain of his respective franchises failed to inspire confidence and his defensive approaches proved to be lackadaisical, as he constantly shuffled between opening the batting and one-down positions while leading Kochi Tuskers Kerala, which failed to give a settled look to the unit.
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