When it comes to a long tournament like IPL, franchises usually invest in a project headed by the captain. Unless there is a horrid run, a case of injury or retirement, teams normally do not go for a captaincy change. Of course, we have seen that happen too. All of this makes captaincy a rare opportunity in IPL. In line with this, we have witnessed a few players who have captained only one game in IPL history. We look at these instances in the below headings.
1) Dwayne Bravo – Mumbai Indians (IPL 2010)
Opposition: Kolkata Knight Riders || Game Result: Mumbai lost by 9 wickets
A complete T20 cricketer that he is, Dwayne Bravo is also an established captain in this format. While he has led West Indies to multiple victories, he has won three Caribbean Premier League trophies, too. However, he has captained only one game in IPL history.
The only foreign player to have won the Purple Cap twice, Bravo stepped in when Sachin Tendulkar was unavailable in IPL 2010 against KKR. He was the only experienced player in the team and hence, had to wear the armband. However, in the only game that he captained, MI lost the game by nine wickets.
2) Parthiv Patel – Kochi Tuskers Kerala (IPL 2011)
Opposition: Chennai Super Kings || Game Result: Kochi lost by 11 runs
Parthiv Patel is also one of the cricketers to have captained only one game in IPL. Although he has played more than 100 matches in the competition, Parthiv’s chance to captain a franchise happened only on one occasion. This is even though Parthiv has a record of winning a Ranji Trophy as a captain.
In IPL 2011, KTK had lost their chances to gain an entry into the playoffs by the last game of the league stages. Mahela Jayawardene, the captain, had to leave the tournament, owing to an international commitment. Hence, Parthiv was given the chance to lead the side, but unfortunately, he could not do that successfully. That game was the last in the franchise’s history as they were dissolved after the season.
3) Ross Taylor – Pune Warriors (IPL 2013)
Opposition: Chennai Super Kings || Game Result: Pune won by 24 runs
Pune Warriors were there in IPL only for three seasons, but they had a total of six captains in these editions. Ross Taylor was also one of the captains for them. However, he lasted for just one encounter.
In IPL 2013, Pune had already lost the first three games under the leadership of Angelo Mathews. Hence, for the fourth encounter, Ross Taylor was given the responsibility. Although the franchise won the game under him, he was dropped for the next match due to his poor form with the bat. The baton then went to Aaron Finch, who then led the franchise for ten games. With this, Taylor happens to be the only captain with a 100% win record in IPL so far.
4) Mayank Agarwal – Punjab Kings (IPL 2021)
Opposition: Delhi Capitals || Game Result: Punjab lost by 7 wickets
KL Rahul was ruled out with acute appendicitis just before the 29th game of IPL 2021. Mayank Agarwal, who himself had missed the previous game due to an injury, replaced his fellow opener as the captain of Punjab Kings.
Mayank hardly had any captaincy experience before, but he was the best bet considering other options in the unit. The opener did well with the bat in the first inning, scoring 99 runs, but eventually had to bow down, as Dhawan struck a calculated fifty for Delhi and helped his side win the game. Of course, Mayank will have chances to improve on this stat in the coming years.
