T20 cricket is a young man’s game. And even a tournament like the IPL is not an exception. That’s why IPL franchises look for more and more youngsters who can not only bat and bowl well, but can also lead the team. It will help even the betting enthusiasts who involve in online IPL betting.
In this article, we will take a look at the five youngest IPL skippers. Some of them have now achieved superstar status, but back then they were promising youngsters.
We will see in detail their journey and why the franchise picked them in the first place.
List of Top 5 Youngest Captains in IPL History
India’s Virat Kohli is the youngest captain in IPL history. He was 22 years old when he was named skipper by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011.
He is closely followed by Pune Warriors India’s Steve Smith, who was named skipper in 2012 season.
Third on this list is the Delhi Capitals’ Shreyas Iyer, who is followed by CSK’s Suresh Raina and Delhi’s Rishabh Pant.
| S.NO | PLAYER | TEAM | AGE WHEN NAMED SKIPPER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Virat Kohli | RCB | 22 years, 4 months and 6 days |
| 2. | Steve Smith | PWI | 22 years, 11 months and 9 days |
| 3. | Shreyas Iyer | DC | 23 years, 3 months and 21 days |
| 4. | Suresh Raina | CSK | 23 years, 3 months and 22 days |
| 5. | Rishabh Pant | DC | 23 years, 6 months and 6 days |
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was the youngest IPL skipper when he was elevated to the position by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2011 season of the IPL.
He was 22 years, 4 months, and 6 days old when he was named the captain midway through the season.
He was named the captain for three matches during the 2011 season as Daniel Vettori had to miss a few games.
Although, with the presence of senior cricketers in his midst, he would have to wait for a couple of years before he was named the full-time skipper in 2013.
He led RCB in 140 games, helping them win 64 games. However, RCB lost 69 games as well.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith became the second-youngest skipper in the IPL when he was asked to lead the Pune Warriors side in the 2012 season.
Under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly, Pune were struggling and were knocked out.
With nothing to lose, the management named Smith as the captain.
When he went out for the toss, he was 22 years, 11 months, and 9 days old, becoming the second-youngest IPL skipper in history.
Smith would have a long IPL career, becoming a permanent skipper for the Rajasthan Royals and the Rising Pune Supergiants.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was named the permanent skipper of the Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 season.
At 23 years, 3 months, and 21 days old, he became the third youngest skipper in the IPL.
Unlike some of the names mentioned above, Iyer was given a long run as he replaced Gautam Gambhir midway through the season.
He would lead the side to the eliminator and the finals in the 2019 and 2020 IPL seasons, respectively.
He then moved to the Kolkata Knight Riders where he was again set to lead in 2021, but a shoulder injury ensured he was ruled out.
He was back as skipper in 2022, but KKR finished in seventh place.
Suresh Raina
Unlike Iyer, Raina was never made a permanent skipper.
He captained once in the absence of MS Dhoni in the 2010 season, as he was the vice captain.
He led the side from the front, smashing 49 runs, which helped CSK chase down a target of 186 against Delhi Daredevils.
Although he was named the skipper of the Gujarat Lions, he went on to lead the side for the entire season of 2016.
However, they lost to the eventual champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in the second qualifier.
Rishabh Pant
Pant was named the skipper for the 2021 IPL season when Shreyas Iyer moved to KKR.
When he walked out for a toss in his first game at the age of 23 years, 6 months, and 6 days, he became the fifth-youngest IPL skipper.
Pant led his team to the last four of the 2022 edition.
But next year, his captaincy wasn’t up to the mark, as the team finished fifth.
A deadly crash in December that year, which he survived miraculously, ensured that he was ruled out of the 2023 season.
He led the side in 17 games, winning 10 and losing 6, while one match was a tie.
Final Thoughts
Is becoming a young skipper a mark of greatness in the IPL? Well, it certainly seems so.
Take, for example, Virat Kohli or Steve Smith. They became the captains in 2011 and 2012, respectively, and in the next few years, their game improved by leaps and bounds.
In the case of Iyer as well, you could see him taking more responsibility for his batting. Earlier, he used to throw away his wicket.
However, this is still not true for Rishabh Pant, who was as flamboyant as one can be. But that’s how these young captains are, who not only have contrasting batting styles but also contrasting natures, leading to contrasting styles of captaincy.
Suresh Raina remains the only outlier in this list, as he was never given a long run as captain until he went to the Gujarat Lions, which had a 2-year stay at the IPL.
