It's no surprise that all of Team India's T20I stars are integral parts of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sides. Naturally, some of them are in leadership roles in the prestigious league.
Hardik Pandya seems to be the man to skipper the T20I side in the lead-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, while Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will be crucial cogs in the wheel when fit. The likes of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are also very much in the mix in the shortest format.
At the same time, however, some big names haven't been able to sustain themselves in the T20I format. Although all three of these players have been capped by the Men in Blue, they are currently out of the reckoning despite leading an IPL franchise in the recently concluded season.
Here are three IPL 2023 captains who are currently not in contention for the T20I side.
Note: MS Dhoni, who has retired from international cricket, has obviously not been considered. Rohit Sharma, for whom there has been no official confirmation from the selectors, has also been excluded.
#3 Krunal Pandya
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) haven't been able to get past the Eliminator in both of their IPL campaigns and this time around, a change in leadership didn't help either.
After KL Rahul suffered a thigh injury while fielding, Krunal Pandya took over the reins from the opening batter. While LSG's fortunes remained fairly the same before and after the captaincy switch, the left-arm spinner tried to take on as much responsibility as possible.
There are even some calls for Krunal to retain the captaincy once Rahul returns, with the latter coming under severe criticism for his insipid batting approach and tactical gaffes. It's a move that's unlikely to happen, but there is still an outside chance of Krunal becoming LSG's full-time skipper.
However, the 32-year-old isn't anywhere near international cricket at the moment. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the premier finger-spinning all-rounders, while Shahbaz Ahmed has been picked in the second-string squad for the Asian Games.
With youngsters like Nishant Sindhu and Abhishek Sharma coming through the ranks, Krunal might struggle to ever find a place in India's T20I side.
#2 Nitish Rana
Another player who had to step in after the first-choice captain was ruled out with injury, Nitish Rana was at the helm of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) throughout IPL 2023. Shreyas Iyer, dealing with a back issue, missed the entire tournament.
Rana did a decent job for the Knight Riders although certain calls did backfire miserably, such as his decision to bowl the first over against a rampaging Yashasvi Jaiswal. The southpaw took on the responsibility with the bat and marshaled an undermanned side to a seventh-place finish, even exceeding the pre-tournament expectations.
However, Rana, who played two T20Is for India when the Men in Blue were hit by a wave of COVID, isn't among the frontrunners to take up a middle-order role in the shortest format. As things currently stand, he doesn't seem to be in the selectors' plans as they build towards the 2024 T20 World Cup.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan
The only full-time captain on this list, Shikhar Dhawan was in charge of leading the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2023 after they opted to release Mayank Agarwal. PBKS finished eighth on the table, fading away after a bright start.
Dhawan had a spell on the sidelines with injury, with Sam Curran stepping in for him in his absence. The Englishman wasn't too bad as a skipper. The veteran Indian batter, meanwhile, made a host of strange tactical calls even as his batting form rose and fell.
Dhawan hasn't played T20Is for the Men in Blue since July 2021, and the ODI format is the only one he is in contention to be selected for. The 37-year-old has been replaced by Shubman Gill at the top of the order in ODIs as he fights to be selected for the World Cup.
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