Players With Most Match Appearances Without Captaining A Single Match In IPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed 14 editions since its inception in 2008. IPL 2021, the 14^th season of the tournament, has completed its first leg which saw 29 matches. The tournament was postponed after few players were affected by Covid-19 but the remaining games will be conducted in September-October this year.

In the last 14 years, IPL has witnessed many players bagging the limelight with their leadership skills. Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir are a few of the successful skippers in IPL while players like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, David Warner, and Kane Williamson have also done a decent job as a skipper.

However, there are also few players who have a long career in the Indian Premier League but never led a team. Here we look at 5 players with most IPL matches without captaining a single match.

Most IPL Matches Without Captaining A Single Match

Ambati Rayudu- 166

Ambati Rayudu has played 166 matches in IPL so far and has not captained a single match. The wicket-keeper batsman played his debut season in 2010 and has been part of every subsequent edition. The right-handed batsman was part of Mumbai Indians from 2010 to 2017, where he played under skipper Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma.

Since the 2018 season, he has been part of Chennai Super Kings, playing under skipper MS Dhoni. The 35-year-old has scored 3795 runs in 156 innings at an average of 29.64 and strike rate of 127+.

Rayudu has also smashed 20 half-centuries and 1 century. In the 2018 edition, he was the highest run-scorer of tournament champions Chennai Super Kings with 602 runs. Ambati Rayudu won 3 IPL titles with Mumbai Indians in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 1 titles with Chennai Super Kings in 2018.

Yusuf Pathan- 174

Yusuf Pathan has played 174 matches without captaining a single match. The former Indian cricketer retired from all forms of cricket in February 2021. From IPL 2008 to 2010, Pathan played for Rajasthan Royals under the leadership of Shane Watson. He joined Kolkata Knight Riders from the 2011 to 2017 season. Gautam Gambhir was the skipper of the franchise during these years.

In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the right-handed batsman played for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The team was led by Kane Williamson in 2018 and David Warner in 2019. During his 12-year-long career in the Indian Premier League, Pathan smashed 3204 runs in 154 innings. He had an average of 29.12 and a strike rate of 142+.

As a part-time spinner, he picked 42 wickets at an economy of 7.40. Pathan managed to win 3 IPL trophies in 2008 (Rajasthan Royals), 2012, and 2014 (both KKR).

AB de Villiers- 176

Ab de Villiers has played 176 matches in IPL so far but has never been a captain in any game. The former South African cricketer has been part of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the 2011 edition. The franchise has been consistently led by Virat Kohli since 2012. Daniel Vettori was the skipper of RCB in the 2011 season and also led the team in some matches in IPL 2012.

In the earlier seasons, AB de Villiers was part of Delhi Daredevils from 2008 to 2010. During these three seasons, the franchise was led by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The wicket-keeper batsman is the 6th highest run-scorer of the tournament. He has smashed 5056 runs in 162 innings at an average of 40.77. The right-handed batsman has also smacked 3 centuries and 40 half-centuries in IPL while batting at a strike rate of 152+.

Robin Uthappa- 189

Robin Uthappa is the second player on this list with 189 matches. The wicket-keeper batsman has been part of the Indian Premier League since the debut edition in 2008 and is still active in the tournament. In the 2008 season, Uthappa was part of the Mumbai Indians franchise that was led by Sachin Tendulkar. The right-handed batsman moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2009 to 2010 and played under skippers Kevin Pietersen and Anil Kumble.

Uthappa was part of Pune Warriors India from the 2011 to 2013 season. The team was led by Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, and Angelo Mathews during its stay in three editions. Later, the 35-year-old moved to Kolkata Knight Riders from 2014 to 2019. The team was led by Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik during the period. In the 2020 edition, Uthappa was part of Rajasthan Royals which had Steve Smith as the skipper.

Now, Robin Uthappa is part of MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings but hasn’t played any match for the franchise so far. He is the 9th highest run-scorer in the tournament with 4607 runs in 182 innings at an average of 27.92. He has hit 24 half-centuries and owns a strike rate of 129+ while batting.

Ravindra Jadeja- 191

Ravindra Jadeja tops this list with 191 matches without captaining a single match. The Indian all-rounder played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2008 and 2009 under the leadership of Shane Warne.

The left-handed batsman later moved to Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the 2011 season. The franchise was led by Mahela Jayawardene in the tournament. Kochi Tuskers Kerala was terminated before the 2012 edition and Jadeja moved to Chennai Super Kings from 2012 to 2015, where he played under skipper MS Dhoni.

When CSK was suspended for two years, Jadeja moved to Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017. The team was led by Suresh Raina. Since 2018, the left-arm spinner has been part of MS Dhoni-led CSK. Ravindra Jadeja has scored 2290 runs in 145 innings at an average of 26.62 and a strike rate of 128+. He has also picked 120 wickets while bowling in 162 innings at an economy of 7.62.