Shreyas Iyer 9/10, Hardik Pandya 2: Captains' report card in IPL 2024 after league stage

Shreyas Iyer 9/10: 4 years ago, Shreyas Iyer became the first captain to take a Delhi side to an IPL final and now in 2024 he has become the first one to lead KKR to top spot on the table. Yes, Gautam Gambhir has played a major role in decision-making but Iyer has been brave and proactive in his calls on the field

Pat Cummins 8/10: Pat Cummins was captaining a team in T20s for the first time but he brought his experience for the Australian team to the fore. Cummins learned on the job as far as T20 captaincy is concerned and apart from a few calls, he has been on the money and Sunrisers Hyderabad with a top-two finish have certainly benefitted

Sanju Samson - 8.5/10 - Sanju Samson is slowly putting his hand up for the national captaincy in the future. Samson has been calm, has used his bowlers effectively. A couple of calls have gone a bit awry but overall he has been terrific with the resources he has and Rajasthan Royals have qualified for the playoffs for the second time in this cycle

Faf du Plessis - 7/10 - Like Cummins, Faf du Plessis too has improved over the season. RCB took a few games to get their combination right and some decisions were really questionable at the start of the season but du Plessis has come into his own as a captain and a batter as the season has progressed

Ruturaj Gaikwad - 6/10 - Ruturaj Gaikwad has had MS Dhoni's support but the way he conducted himself on the field and in the media interactions, has looked confident and has mind of his own. CSK may not have qualified but they have gotten a leader for the next 7-10 years

Rishabh Pant - 6.5/10 - Rishabh Pant had a comeback season to remember both as a batter and a captain. Whether coming up to the stumps to pacers or saving an over of Kuldeep for death, Pant was smart in his decision-making and Delhi Capitals definitely benefitted from his presence.

KL Rahul - 5.5/10 - KL Rahul improved as a captain on the field but his intent with the bat remained questionable, especially after the T20 World Cup squad announcement was done. Rahul was magnificent as a wicketkeeper, was on his feet regarding decision-making and running the team on the field but he struggled to lead with an example as a batter

Shubman Gill - 6.5/10 - Shubman Gill had a good debut season as a captain and Gujarat Titans may have a long-term skipper in him. Gill had no support as a batter but on the field, his decision-making looked confident and never for a moment it felt like he was out of place

Sam Curran - 6.5 - Sam Curran had another terrific run as a captain. Yes, Punjab Kings struggled even under him but he seemed to have control over the side. Curran never looked flabbergasted by the responsibility and had a couple of very good games as a player too being the captain. He could be indeed a future captaincy option for Punjab

Shikhar Dhawan - 4/10 - Shikhar Dhawan played just five matches but like the last season, the team under him never seemed to be a force to reckon with. He had a couple of decent games with the bat but he struggled with decision-making, eventually to be out injured

Hardik Pandya - 2/10 - A forgettable season to say the least. Obviously, the off-field stuff affected Hardik on the field, the way he played, led and conducted himself but he really had a disappointing year in his first year as captain of Mumbai Indians. Pandya struggled with the bat, ball and on the field as captain and would want to forget this season as quickly as possible