IPL 2022: Jadeja, Hardik, Faf & Mayank - A look at 1st time captains of CSK, RCB & others

The wait for the start of the IPL 2022 season is set to finally end with the opening match of the Indian Premier League between CSK and KKR st to be played at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, March 26. Besides the matches, the focus will be on captains as most of the teams will witness players leading the teams for the first time. Teams like Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Royal challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings will have new skipper at the helm. Let's take a look at the first time captains in IPL 2022.

IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja to don captaincy hat

Gujarat Titans

The newly formed Gujarat Titans will have former Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their skipper in their first season of the cash-rich league. Pandya was signed by the Gujarat franchisee ahead of the IPL 2022 auction for INR 15 crore.

The Baroda cricketer has never led any team in IPL so far and it will be interesting to see how well he handles the captaincy pressure, especially when he is looking to make his comeback in the Indian team after being out for several months due to injury.

Chennai Super Kings 

The four-time IPL champions will also have a new skipper at the helm in the form of Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder was recently passed the baton after MS Dhoni decided to step down from the role ahead of the CSK vs KKR match. Ravindra Jadeja has been a part of CSK for some years now and with the help of MS Dhoni, he would look to make an instant impact as the skipper of the team.

Punjab Kings

With KL Rahul moving to Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the Indian Premier League auction, Punjab Kings will have Mayank Agarwal at the helm for the upcoming season. The 31-year-old was retained by Punjab Kings for INR 12 crore in the auction following a great season for the team last year.

For Agarwal, this will be a great chance to make an impact and along with coach Anil Kumble, he will be hoping to lead the team to the knockout stage this time around, with PBKS failing to do it in the past couple of seasons. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore 

RCB are yet to win a single IPL trophy so far and this year, the team will look to change their fortune under new captain Faf du Plessis. The South African cricketer was a part of the CSK team for the past couple of seasons and also won the title with them last season besides being the second-highest run-getter in IPL 2021.

He has led the South Africa team, however, he is yet to captain any IPL team. His leadership experience coupled with team effort will be crucial for RCB's success in the new season of Indian Premier League.