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Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - (Source: @photomurali1)
On Tuesday, September 1, Ishan Kishan-led East Zone beat Central Zone to reach the Duleep Trophy 2026 final. Ishan Kishan has been impressive as a leader and is getting appreciated for his decisions.
Before Duleep Trophy, Ishan Kishan proved his mettle as a leader in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden trophy. Ishan Kishan’s heroics in SMAT also earned him an India call-up.
Ishan Kishan has been impressive as a captain, yet he is denied a leadership role in the IPL. The southpaw led SRH in the first-half of IPL 2026, but only served as a stand-in skipper. Once Pat Cummins returned to the side, the Australia star took over the captaincy.
It feels that it's about time that Ishan Kishan gets a permanent leadership role in the cash-rich league. Not just Ishan, but there have been other stars as well in the past who have been great captains but didn’t get the chance to lead in the IPL, and this article will shed light on that. (The entire data is from records in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy)
1. Ishan Kishan
Talking about Ishan Kishan, the southpaw has led Jharkhand in 29 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has won 23 matches and lost 5 games. Ishan’s win record for Jharkhand is 79.31%, which is pretty impressive.
In IPL, Ishan Kishan led Sunrisers Hyderabad in 8 matches, winning 5 and losing 3 games. His win% with SRH is 62.50%. Ishan Kishan made his IPL debut in 2016 with Gujarat Lions and had to wait for 10 years to get a taste of leadership in the IPL.
2. Mandeep Singh
Former Punjab Kings star Mandeep Singh is another player who has an impressive captaincy record in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 34-year-old led Punjab and Tripura from 2013 to 2024.
Mandeep Singh has led his side in 53 matches, winning 35 games and suffering 18 defeats. The win record turns out to be an impressive 66.03. Notably, under Mandeep Singh, Punjab won their first-ever SMAT in the 2023-2024 domestic season.
Also Read: Ishan Kishan's Injury Kicks Off Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Captaincy Era In Duleep Trophy 2026
Despite an impressive SMAT record, Mandeep, who featured in 98 IPL matches, never got to lead any franchise.
3. Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary, who spent most of his career at KKR, never got to lead the franchise, despite an impressive Syed Mushtaq Ali record for Bengal. He has led Bengal in 43 matches and won a whopping 35 matches.
Manoj Tiwary has a win record of 81.39. Notably, Manoj Tiwary led Bengal to their maiden and only SMAT title in the 2010-2011 season. Manoj Tiwary also led East Zone to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2016.
Talking about IPL, he played 85 matches but never captained any franchise.
4. Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey has the best win percentage by any captain in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history. The KKR star, who has featured in every IPL edition, has led Karnataka in 34 matches. He has won 28 matches and has a win percentage of 82.35.
Manish Pandey is one of the most successful captains in SMAT history. He led Karnataka to two consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019. He came close to another title in 2021 but finished as the runners-up.
Despite an impressive domestic career as a captain, Manish Pandey has only led in a solitary IPL match which he lost as a captain.
5. Naman Ojha
Another domestic star captain who didn’t get a leadership opportunity in IPL is Naman Ojha. The former Delhi Capitals star led Central Zone and Madhya Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Ojha has captained in 25 matches, won 17 games and has a win% of 68. Naman Ojha’s side ended as runners-up in the same year that Manoj Tiwary-led East Zone won the title. Notably, Ojha never led any side in IPL despite featuring in 94 innings.
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