Bengaluru, May 9: The IPL is fast drifting towards its business end and teams are in a scramble for a play-off berth - some ahead than others. Some captains like Virat Kohli, who entered the IPL with lot of expectations are lagging, while a last-minute replacement like Kane Williamson is flying high.

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Mykhel looks at the turbulent and contrasting journey of the eight IPL captains after 10 league phase matches.

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KANE WILLIAMSON - 8/10

The Sunrisers Hyderabad selected Kane Williamson - the only non-Indian captain in this IPL - after David Warner was banned post the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. But the Kiwi surpassed all expectations. He carried the twin role of batsman premier and captain with ease and typical dignity.

Williamson marshalled the resources around him with aplomb and never let the team's fighting spirit fade away even when they score a low score. At the time of writing, Williamson is the third highest run-getter in this edition of IPL with 410 runs behind KL Rahul (471) and Ambati Rayudu (423).

Test ahead

Williamson has to find a way for some more runs from his fellow batsmen as an off-day in the knockout stage could spoil all the good work thus far.

SRH record: M: 10. W: 8. L: 2: Pts: 16

Williamson: M: 10: R: 410: Hs: 84; 50s: 5

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MS DHONI - 8/10

Dhoni had a big task at hand before this IPL. Chennai Super Kings was returning to the competition after a gap of two years and an impact performance was mandatory to prove that the fire was still burning. From an individual point of view, a large section had begun to doubt Dhoni's ability as a finisher and utility in T20 as a whole.

But the Jharkhand man bridged the gap between the leader of the troop and a batsman with customary nonchalance. As a captain, Dhoni ensured that his 'Dad's Army' outclassed far younger teams and now they stand a step or two away from play-offs. Dhoni's two tour de force innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore while chasing ensured that his legacy as a finisher is intact.

Test ahead

Dhoni needs to ensure that his bowlers' buck up and stop the run flow in the death overs or it can bruise them deeply in a knockout game.

CSK: M: 10: W: 10. L: 3. Pts: 14

Dhoni: M: 10: R: 360. Hs: 79. 50s: 3.

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DINESH KARTHIK - 7/10

Dinesh Karthik stepped in as Kolkata Knight Riders' captain after the departure of Gautam Gambhir. He is a first time IPL captain and one with no real captaincy record. And the captaincy of an IPL team can expose you even more brutally because of the small number of teams.

But the Tamil Nadu man made light of such external facts and led his team well and also chipped in with some crucial runs. He might not have scored a fifty in 10 innings but ensured that KKR remained among the top four teams.

Test ahead

The KKR are not completely away from the danger zone and Karthik will have to keep the focus of his team as the race for play-offs hots up. Teams like Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals are sniffing behind their back.

KKR: M: 10: W: 5. L: 5: Pts: 10

Dinesh Karthik: M: 10: R: 316. Hs; 45: 50s: 0.

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R ASHWIN - 6.5/10

Like his TN teammate Karthik, Ashwin is also a first-time IPL skipper. Ashwin has kept Kings XI Punjab among the top four teams in the points table and looked comfortable with the captaincy job, especially went through his bowling options quite wisely.

The trust he showed on the young Afghan Mujeeb Ur Rahman is a big positive and the spinner has repaid the captain's belief with gold. Ashwin had even asked Mujeeb to bowl the final over against the rampaging Shreyas Iyer of Delhi Daredevils and saw the gamble getting the desired result. But his personal form is nothing to write home about - just six wickets from 10 matches.

Test ahead

The off-spinner will perforce have to chip in with a more weighty effort with the ball. Kings XI have relied heavily on Mujeeb and Andre Tye for breakthroughs when they have one of the best bowlers in contemporary cricket in their ranks.

KXIP: M: 10: W: 6. L: 4: Pts: 12

R Ashwin: M: 10: W: 6. Eco: 7.77, Best: 2/30.

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ROHIT SHARMA - 6/10

The defending champions Mumbai Indians started disastrously - losing to all comers. But now, they are fifth in the standings with eight points (ahead of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 9) and could still get into the knockout stage. Rohit Sharma has managed to lift his team from depths, instilling some positivity getting the team combination right as the tournament progressed.

Players like Hardik Pandya has began to play with more confidence and that's being reflected in the Mumbai's efforts. But Rohit the batsman is conspicuous by his absence lending the team that much brittleness.

Test ahead

There's not much margin for error for Mumbai Indians as they need to keep winning to be in the race for play-offs. As a captain, Rohit needs to keep the fight going and as a batsman he needs to register some more runs against his name.

MI: M: 10: W: 4. L: 6. Pts: 8

Rohit Sharma: M: 10: R: 231: Best: 94. 50s: 2.

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AJINKYA RAHANE - 5.5/10

The Rajasthan Royals have blown hot and blown cold, just like their skipper. A team that was in the top half of the points table in the initial stages of the competition is now 6th in rankings after a slew of mixed results. Often, Rahane is not visible on the field as a captain and batsman as the team resembles an auto pilot flight. The Mumbai man too looks unsure of his place in the side - opener or in the middle-order.

The bright points were the move to give Jofra Archer a chance in the first available opportunity and the backing of Sanju Samson, the relatively more consistent batsman for Royals.

Test ahead

Rajasthan Royals still can enter the play-offs but for that Rahane should ensure that the team should play with lot of consistency and of course as a batsman too the right-hander should find some consistency.

RR: M: 10. W: 4. L: 6. Pts: 8

Ajinkya Rahane: M: 10: R: 239. Best: 65. 50s: 1.

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VIRAT KOHLI: 4/10

India's motivational skipper Virat Kohli looked bereft of ideas in this IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He struggled to get the right team combination more often than not and benched Chris Woakes who at one stage topped the IPL bowling charts with eight wickets from five matches. Though Kohli can found a justification in Woakes' high economy rate - 10.8. But there is not much vindication he can look around for his team being seventh on the points table.

The lone bright spot for Kohli is his batting form and carried the RCB's hopes on his shoulders but Kohli is in that Leonidas position - one man against several. Brave but hard to win.

Test ahead

A play-off berth hope is all but over over RCB but they would like to go out with a bang. Kohli should inspire his team to play his brand of fearless cricket and make a statement.

RCB: M: 10: W: 3: L: 7. Pts: 6.

Virat Kohli: M: 10: R: 396. Best: 92. 50s: 3.

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Shreyas Iyer - 3.5/10

The young man took over the reins of Delhi Daredevils after Gautam Gambhir's resignation following a string of defeats and his own poor form. By that time, Delhi had hit the rock bottom. But Shreyas approached the job with a positive mindset and hammered a fifty in his first outing as captain. He's among the top 10 run-getters in this IPL as of now.

Test ahead

Nothing much is left for Daredevils in this IPL apart from saving the pride while avoiding another bottom-place finish. Shyreas needs to lead from the front if they are to accomplish that task.

DD: M: 10: W: 3: L: 7. Pts: 6

Shreyas Iyer: M: 10: R: 351. Best: 93. 50s: 4