IPL: 7 cricketers who are destined to be captains in future

Captaincy is a key aspect in any format of this beautiful game and especially in this fast-paced format where the captain has to think on his feet all the time.

Since its inception, the IPL has produced brilliant captains like Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Gautam Gambhir and many more. The goal of the tournament is to present to the opportunity of a lifetime to the young budding stars and also give a chance at redemption or further reward to the established stars.

Responsibility has changed the career of many cricketers over the years, and IPL has been the source for this. One such case is that of Rohit Sharma in which the leadership not only helped Mumbai Indians to clinch multiple trophies but also improve the 'Hitman' as a player.

The following list contains players are destined to be the future captains of an IPL side. The list involves experienced and upcoming players.

#7 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

"Sometimes it's the people no one imagines anything of; who do things that no one can imagine," the quote from the movie Imitation Games perfectly sums up Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

There will be a time in the future when the leader of the SRH and Indian bowling attack becomes the leader of an IPL side. Bhuvneshwar does not come across as a natural leader, but his calm nature and the drive to constantly improve makes him a good captain.

IPL has seen fast-bowlers leading the side in the past like Zaheer Khan, Shaun Pollock and Bhuvneshwar has all the qualities to be part of this elite list.

In the 102 Innings that he has bowled in IPL, he has taken a total of 120 wickets and even won the Purple Cap in the consecutive years. Captain or not a captain, Bhuvi is a valuable asset to any team that he plays.

#6 Ishan Kishan

The prodigy from the land of Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed his hero's footsteps and became a keeper-batsman, and even went onto captain his U-19 side.

Mumbai Indians is a team known to build young talents, and this time they can be building their future captain in Ishan Kishan. Kishan burst into the limelight when he led his side to the U-19 World Cup finals, and this got him an IPL contract with the now defunct-side Gujarat Lions.

The 2018 mega auctions saw MI buying him for a whopping ₹6.20 Crores. This is huge money to spend on a budding talent, and this speaks about the kind of potential that Kishan possesses.

In the 30 matches that he has been part of in the IPL, he has scored nearly 600 runs at a strike rate of 137.82.

If Kishan can continue to do the good works, it won't be surprising to see him leading any IPL side in the future.

#5 Prithvi Shaw

Handling pressure and expectation are the prerequisites to become a successful captain. Prithvi Shaw has been doing that for more than five years now, where he has always been compared with the Master Blaster - Sachin Tendulkar. His elegant footwork and technique have been the reasons for his comparison with Tendulkar.

Shaw, much like Virat Kohli burst into the scene by winning the U-19 World Cup. In his first IPL season, he has become an integral part in the Delhi Daredevils batting set-up.

Shaw has already made his Test debut and has cemented his spot in the team as the opener. This responsibility will improve him a captain as well. While the chances of him becoming the captain of the Delhi Capitals team looks slim, as Shreyas Iyer just became the team's captain, but with the age, and talent on his side, Shaw is destined to become a future IPL captain.

#4 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is one of the most obvious choices in the list of players who are destined to the future IPL captains. Raina has been the vice-captain of the CSK side since the first season, and will eventually take over the reins when Mahendra Singh Dhoni decides to call it a day.

One of the main reasons for him leading the side after Dhoni is the loyalty in the CSK's fanbase and CSK's management. Raina has been the backbone of the CSK side since the IPL's inception.

He is their leading run-scorer and has captained the team in the absence of MSD. This is not the only thing that makes him captain material. Raina is an out-and-out team player and constantly tries to encourage the game of his teammates. His experience with the Gujarat Lions will also come handy when he is appointed as the captain of the CSK side.

#3 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill became the next big thing in Indian Cricket after he was the man of the tournament, and the leading run scorer of the U-19 World Cup winning Indian side.

These performances saw Kolkata Knight Riders picking him up for ₹1.8 crores in the 2018 IPL Auction. They might have brought the future leader of their team. By all means, Dinesh Karthik is just a transitional captain and major factor behind this is the age.

Gambhir was their key pillar which held the team together, if groomed well, Gill can be the guy to fill the void left by the southpaw from Delhi. His performances in the domestic circuit have already earned him a call-up to the Indian ODI squad. This selection will do a world of good to his confidence.

A special talent with the bat, Gill has already shown an unflappable temperament which is one the key assets for any skipper.

#2 KL Rahul

Has been touted as the successor to Kohli

One of the most exciting talent in the country, KL Rahul makes everyone to stand up and watch him play. One of the finest batsmen of this era is yet to become an IPL captain, but it is inevitable that he will become captain one day.

Rahul has a plethora of runs in the international, and the domestic cricket, but was yet to make his stamp in the IPL. He was sold to the Kings XI Punjab in the previous season for a whopping ₹11 Crores, and he repaid them with the runs that he scored.

He nearly the team to the playoffs with his efforts with the bat and time will tell whether he can take the team to the playoffs with the captain's hat too.

In the 53 matches that he has played in the IPL, he has scored 1384 runs with a strike rate just below 140.

#1 Hardik Pandya

One of the most intriguing choice for a captain

Mumbai Indians have produced a lot of young talents in the past. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Nitish Rana all came under the Mumbai Indians management, but Hardik Pandya is easily the biggest T20 star produced by the men in blue.

It is difficult to look past Pandya to over the reigns from Rohit Sharma in the future. One of the biggest advantage with Pandya is that things seem to happen around which makes him even good option for captaincy.

While Pandya's captaincy skills are highly untested, him being around the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma will teach him a great deal.

In the 50 IPL matches that Pandya has played for Mumbai, he scored more than 650 runs and has also taken 28 wickets. With maturity, and experience these numbers are bound to increase.

It is safe to say that Hardik Pandya is the future of Mumbai Indians, and making him captain in the future will be the correct decision.

Also Read: 5 Cricketers who can become the next Indian captain after Virat Kohli