Forgettable beginning: Ducks on IPL captaincy debut

Being a captain of a side for the first time is a special day for any player as it’s an honour which every player doesn’t get. Captaining a team is already a huge deal for most players and it also brings with it added scrutiny on an individual’s performance. While some players are able to cope with the attention and perform at their best even while being the captain, there are a few whose performance gets affected by the extra pressure. On that note, let’s take a look at the three captains who had a horrible start to their captaincy career in IPL history and got out on a duck:

3. Krunal Pandya (LSG) vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 45, IPL 2023

After an injury to regular skipper KL Rahul in the previous fixture, Krunal Pandya was handed over the duties. The all-rounder came out to bat at number four, unfortunately, he had to make a walk back to the pavilion immediately as he got out on the very first ball. Pandya’s performance didn’t affect his team much as the game was eventually washed out.

2. Aiden Markram (SRH) vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 10, IPL 2023

After opting to bat first, the South African batter walked in to bat on his captaincy debut at number four at the score of 50/2 after 7.5 overs. Much to his dismay, he failed to trouble the scorers on his captaincy debut and got out for a golden duck. Markram’s team also failed to fire like their captain and could manage to score 121/8 in the first innings and eventually lost the match by five wickets.

1. VVS Laxman (Deccan Chargers) vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 4, IPL 2008

VVS Laxman became the first player to have the ignominy of getting out on a duck in his captaincy debut. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Laxman walked in to bat at number three to stabilise the innings after the early wicket. However, he had a forgettable outing as he got out on a six-ball duck. To make matters worse for Laxman, DC ended up losing the match by five wickets.