5 Youngest Captains in IPL History: Rising Stars Who Led Their Teams

For aspiring Indian cricket players, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has long been a place of opportunity.  The franchise league was initially established in 2008 to develop exceptional talent and create a future.  By providing India with several match winners and contemporary great cricket players, the IPL has fulfilled its mission over the past 18 years.  

In addition to batting and bowling prowess, the IPL has produced outstanding leaders.  A lot of cricket players lead by example after taking on the role of captain at an early age. In this article, we will look at the five youngest captains in the IPL's lengthy history.

Here are 5 Youngest Captains in IPL History

5. Riyan Parag (23 Years, 4 Months, 10 Days)

Rajasthan Royals will be led by Riyan Parag for the first three IPL 2025 games. The 23-year-old Riyan Parag will have a lot of responsibility as Rajasthan Royals are facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening game of IPL 2025. Sanju Samson is still healing from an injury to his index finger and chose to miss the first three games, this decision was made.  In addition, Samson trusted Parag to take charge of a team full of well-known players, and RR named him captain for the season's opening three games.

4. Suresh Raina (23 Years, 3 Months, 22 days)

Suresh Raina was a key member of Chennai Super Kings and he mostly served as vice-captain of the team which was led by MS Dhoni. He got a chance to lead the team in 2010 when he was only 23 years of age. During the game against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), he was appointed as CSK captain as MS Dhoni was not available for the match. Under his captaincy, CSK chased down the target of 186 runs. In that game, he scored 49 runs. Later he also captained Gujarat Lions as CSK and RR was banned for two years.

3. Shreyas Iyer (23 Years, 3 Months, 21 Days)

The captaincy journey for Shreyas Iyer started in 2018 with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) when Gautam Gambhir benched himself due to poor batting form. When the team announced Shreyas Iyer as captain he was only 23 years old. In the first game as captain, he scored 93 runs and remained unbeaten against KKR as the team won the match. A year later the team got into the playoffs spot. In 2020 under his leadership, he led Delhi Capitals to the first IPL finals but had to face defeat. In the last IPL, he led KKR to their third IPL title and now he is leading Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.

Also Check:3 Active IPL players who have played for both SRH and RR in IPL history

2. Steve Smith (22 Years, 11 Months, 9 Days) 

The IPL journey for Steve Smith started as a replacement. During IPL 2012 Steve Smith joined Pune Warriors India as a replacement of Mitchell Marsh. However, the team struggled under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. Later he resigned as captain and Steve Smith was given the captaincy role at the young age of 22. Later he went on to lead the Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant, where he had the unique opportunity to captain MS Dhoni and briefly led the Delhi Capitals.

1. Virat Kohli (22 years, 4 Months, 6 Days)

Virat Kohli has leadership skills at a young age. Under his captaincy, India won the ICC U-19 World Cup. During the start of IPL in 2008 Virat was picked by RCB. During that time Daniel Vettori was leading the team. But in 2011 Daniel Vettori got injured and Virat Kohli got a chance to lead the team at the age of 22 years. In 2013 he was given a full-time captaincy role. In 2016 under his captaincy, RCB came close to winning the IPL title but had to face defeat against SRH.

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FAQs:

Q. Who is the youngest captain in IPL history?

A. Virat Kohli is the youngest captain in IPL history.

Q. Who is the youngest captain in IPL 2025?

A. Riyan Parag is the youngest captain of IPL 2025.

Q. Who is the youngest captain in Chennai Super Kings history?

A. Suresh Raina is the youngest captain in Chennai Super Kings history.