IPL 2021: As RR bids goodbye to Steve Smith, list of captains who were released before auction

The controversial Aussie star batsman Steve Smith's record is IPL as captain has the second-best win-loss ratio for anyone who has led in more than 40 matches. 

His major influence came when he lead Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and they made a late dash and reached the finals.

However, as a Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper, Smith hasn't quite had the same impact. The team last qualified for the playoffs only under Ajinkya Rahane in 2018, after which the side have not made much progress. 

Smith's own form tapered away in IPL 2020, and it saw RR finish at the bottom. RR have now named Sanju Samson as the new skipper, while Smith looks set to attract big bids at the auction.

Gautam Gambhir was one of the IPL's most successful captains, and yet he was released twice. As the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) skipper, Gambhir took them to the top of the table in 2009 from where they lost the semifinals.

Upon his release in 2011, he had become was the most expensive buy in the auction, as KKR invested in him as captain.

Under his captaincy, KKR saw things completely change. They made playoffs after three poor seasons and even went on to win the title in 2012 and 2014. 

Gambhir ensured KKR were seen as a side to beat and his release from KKR in 2017 hurt the franchise going forward. 

The team that made a bottom finish in the inaugural IPL, saw the now-defunct Deccan Chargers mount a stunning recovery under Adam Gilchrist in 2009 as they lifted the title. The Australian's influence, however, fell short in taking the side far in 2010, and he was promptly released after three seasons.

The Chargers were in operation for one season after. However, under the captaincy of Kumar Sangakkara and then Cameron White, they had a choppy season. Gilchrist found interest in the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), who he led for the next three seasons before he announced his retirement from all cricket in 2013.

Kings XI Punjab's (KXIP) revival from the abyss to top of the points table in 2014 was the influence of skipper George Bailey. With a power-packed batting side, KXIP thrived under Bailey and then head coach Sanjay Bangar.

However, right after their fairytale finals run in 2014, the team had a poor run in 2015 with Bailey still at the helm. Bailey was then soon released by KXIP before the 2016 IPL auction, where he went unsold before being signed by the Rising Pune Supergiant as a replacement player. The franchises luck, however, did not improve after the release, nor did Bailey have an IPL career to speak of.

Glenn Maxwell was given the KXIP captaincy in IPL 2017, however, a season of 7 wins and the same number of losses saw the north franchise not qualifying for the playoffs. 

Maxwell finished with a 50% win-loss record and the franchise finally cut the cord in 2017 and released Maxwell, only for Delhi Capitals to make a massive investment in him during the auctions. KXIP and Maxwell have both continued to flounder in the IPL since then.

Now, not as a captain, but as a player as well, Maxwell did not perform well in the 2020 edition and was shown the door before the auction.