Till now, the Indian Premier League has seen five franchises exit the tournament due to various reasons. While in some cases the franchise was replaced by another one, in other cases, IPL decided to move ahead without these outfits. It is interesting to note that some of these franchises had a good run. On that note, here, we take a look at the final Captains of now-defunct IPL franchises and their whereabouts at the moment.
Deccan Chargers – Kumar Sangakkara
Although they had a forgettable first season, Deccan Chargers made amends by winning the competition in IPL 2009. Adam Gilchrist was then the skipper.
After Gilchrist moved to Punjab Kings, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Kumar Sangakkara got a chance to captain the side. In the last game of the franchise, it was the Sri Lankan legend who led the side. Right now, he is the Head Coach of Rajasthan Royals. He also works as a commentator.
Pune Warriors India – Aaron Finch
Pune Warriors India was one of the two franchises that entered the competition when it was first expanded. Initially, the franchise signed big names such as Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh. Yuvi was given the captaincy responsibility.
However, due to his health issues, Aaron Finch also got to captain a few games. Finch has retired from the game and now works as a commentator. He also plays in some of the leagues for retired cricketers.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala – Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel is one of the surprising names on this list of final Captains of now-defunct IPL franchises. Mahela Jayawardene had to miss the last game and hence, Parthiv Patel took over the reigns from him.
Parthiv had never captained an IPL side and did not do that, as well, after this game. At the moment, he is a commentator and is also one of the talent scouts for Mumbai Indians.
Gujarat Lions – Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina finally got the opportunity to lead an IPL franchise back in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017. While the team enjoyed a good run in 2016, they could not do well in 2017.
Nevertheless, it was a good experience for Suresh Raina as a skipper. Right now, Raina is not involved with any IPL franchise. He works as a commentator and plays in many leagues which mainly feature retired cricketers. A few of his fans want him to take up a coaching role in the future.
Rising Pune Supergiant – Steve Smith
Steve Smith is also one of the final Captains of now-defunct IPL franchises. With CSK and RR not in the competition, RPS joined the IPL in 2016. Of course, it was MS Dhoni who was appointed as the skipper for the first season. However, the team did not do well under him and for the next campaign, Steve Smith was given the responsibility.
For RPS, appointing Steve Smith was a successful move. He led the team to the finals in IPL 2017. At the moment, Steve is still a part of all the formats of the game. However, he was unsold in the recent IPL auctions. Hence, he now works as a commentator in the tournament.
