Former Indian fast bowler RP Singh was one of the leading pacers in the Indian Premier League during the initial years. The 37-year-old left-arm medium pacer, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning side, represented the likes of Deccan Chargers, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Rising Pune Super Giants in the cash-rich league during his association with the IPL as a player. During his stint with these franchises, he played under the leadership of players like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, but when he was asked to pick his favourite captain, he surprised everyone by preferring an Australian legend over the likes of Dhoni and Virat.
According to RP Singh, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2009, former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist is his favourite captain that he has played under in IPL matches. Singh was associated with the Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the world’s richest franchise cricket league, and under the leadership of Gilchrist, the Hyderabad-based side won the title in 2009.
Explaining the reason behind his choice to pick Gilchrist over others, RP in a video uploaded by Jio Cinema’s Twitter handle said, “Mere favourite Adam Gilchrist. Former Australian captain bhi rahe hai vo aur hamare Deccan Chargers ke 3 saal captain the. Favourite isliye kyuki pehle saal hum bottom main aaye the aur fir uske baad humne bounce back kiya aur bounce back kar ke table palat di. Sabse top pe the. (My favourite is Adam Gilchrist. He was a former Australian captain and was the leader of the Deccan Chargers for three years. He was a favourite because in the first year we finished at the bottom, but the next year we bounced back and turned the tables around. We were at the top).”
After playing for the Deccan Chargers from 2008 to 2010, RP joined Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, which was led by Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene and picked up 13 wickets in 14 matches. In 2012, he joined MI and accounted for the dismissal of 10 batters in 11 matches. In that season, Harbhajan Singh was leading MI. RP moved to RCB in 2013, and under Virat’s leadership, he picked up 13 wickets in 11 matches. The UP-based cricketer’s final season in the IPL was under Dhoni’s captaincy. He was picked by the Rising Pune Super Giants in 2016, and in four matches, he dismissed three batters.
