Repeating his feat of making his debut for Australia as captain, Bailey will lead the Indian Premier League from his first appearance.

Kings XI coach Sanjay Bangar said the Longford 31-year-old was the only candidate considered for the captaincy from a squad that includes fellow Australians Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh as well as India legend and former Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag.

``He was the unanimous choice. He has got success as a leader in the domestic tournaments like Sheffield Shield in Australia,'' Bangar said.

``He had also led Australia in the Twenty20 format. And then the overall type of character he is, who can understand a range of players from the bigger names to ones that have limited ability. We are confident he has the ability to bring out the best from everyone.

``We required a player with past leadership experience. The second and crucial aspect was to have a player who was guaranteed a place in the team for all matches.

``Within that group we would definitely like to utilise the experience of senior guys like Viru, who are bound to perform the role of mentors. But on the field Bailey will be the captain.''

Bailey, who becomes the second Australian to captain the Kings XI after Adam Gilchrist's tenure for the past two years, has had a sensational summer, playing in all five Ashes Test victories and the successful one-day series before captaining the national T20 team to undefeated series wins against England and South Africa.

He was also named Australia's ODI player of the year at the Allan Border Medal on the back of a record-breaking series in India.

Bailey has played just four IPL games and none since 2010. Bought by the Chennai Super Kings, he was left to languish on the bench before being released in 2012.