The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off. Most teams have already begun their training. (Image X @Vikrant_1589)
New Delhi: The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off. Most teams have already begun their training, although this time around—due to the recently concluded World Cup—some players are joining their squads a bit late. All 10 teams have finalized their strategies for this grand spectacle, which is scheduled to begin on March 28. This season, the majority of the teams will feature Indian captains at the helm.
On Wednesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad appointed Ishan Kishan as their captain for the opening matches, while the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bangalore, will once again take the field to defend their title under the leadership of their champion captain, Rajat Patidar. During the auction, the bidding for players shattered several previous records, with franchises securing their chosen players through hefty bids. Much like in previous seasons, several teams have opted to change their captains this time around as well.
In the history of the IPL, Chennai Super Kings has appointed only four captains. MS Dhoni served as the team's captain for an extended period; under his leadership, the team was crowned champions five times. In IPL 2026, Ruturaj Gaikwad will take charge of the team, having been appointed as captain back in 2025. Carrying forward MS Dhoni's legacy, Ruturaj Gaikwad is leading CSK for the third consecutive year. To date, Ruturaj Gaikwad has secured only 8 victories in the 19 matches he has captained.
On Thursday, Sunrisers Hyderabad appointed Ishan Kishan as the team's captain for IPL 2026. However, he will serve as captain only for the initial matches, as the regular captain, Pat Cummins, is currently recovering from an injury. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma will serve as the vice-captain. Kishan lacks prior captaincy experience in the IPL; however, last year, he led Jharkhand to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer. Kishan has become the 11th captain in Sunrisers Hyderabad's history.
Under the captaincy of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians team will once again take the field this season. Mumbai Indians have appointed nine captains to date, and Hardik Pandya took over the team's command following Rohit Sharma's departure. The team's performance was lackluster after Hardik was appointed captain for IPL 2024; however, he successfully steered the team back on track in 2025. Hardik had previously led the Gujarat Titans to a championship title under his captaincy in 2022. As a captain in the IPL, he has played 60 matches, in which his team has registered 35 victories.
The Punjab Kings hold the record for appointing the highest number of captains in the history of the IPL. Across various seasons, Punjab has selected a total of 17 different captains. However, in IPL 2025, the Punjab Kings entrusted the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer, and he successfully guided the team all the way to the final. Shreyas Iyer had previously led the Kolkata Knight Riders to a championship title under his captaincy and is now striving to bring the trophy home for Punjab. As a captain in the IPL, Shreyas Iyer has secured victory in 48 out of the 87 matches he has led.
For IPL 2026, the Rajasthan Royals have handed over the team's command to young batsman Riyan Parag. Riyan was seen captaining the team in several matches during the previous season as well, though he faced a grueling challenge in trying to lead the team to victory. While Riyan received the opportunity to captain in IPL 2025 primarily due to Sanju Samson's absence, this time he will lead the team for the entire season; consequently, expectations for a stronger performance from Rajasthan will be high. In the previous IPL season, he led the team in eight matches but managed to register wins in only two of them.
Shubman Gill, the Test and ODI captain of the Indian national team, serves as the captain of the Gujarat Titans. He took over the team's command in 2024, and under his captaincy, the team's performance has improved over the last few seasons. The Gujarat Titans became champions in 2022 under the leadership of Hardik Pandya and subsequently reached the final in the following season (2023). Shubman Gill has captained a team in a total of 27 IPL matches, with the team registering victories in 14 of them.
Veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been leading the Kolkata Knight Riders since the last season. He is the ninth captain to lead the Kolkata franchise. Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas are the only captains who have secured an IPL trophy for KKR. The team's performance was lackluster last year, finishing in eighth place. In the auction, Kolkata acquired Cameron Green for ₹25.2 crore—a player on whom all eyes will be fixed. Star cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has captained teams in a total of 38 IPL matches, leading them to victory in 14 instances. He has suffered defeat in 24 matches while serving as captain.
Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team has won a trophy for the very first time. In his debut stint as captain, Patidar successfully guided Bengaluru to championship glory. Virat Kohli served as RCB's captain for the longest duration; although he frequently steered the team close to the trophy, he was unable to secure a victory. Rajat Patidar is the ninth captain in Bengaluru's IPL history. Under Rajat Patidar's captaincy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru has emerged victorious in 11 out of the 15 matches played.
The Delhi Capitals hold the distinction of being the team that has changed its captain the second-most number of times in the history of the IPL. Delhi has entrusted the team's leadership to a total of 14 different players. Currently, Axar Patel is leading the team. The team appointed Axar as captain in 2024; however, under his leadership, the team was unable to sustain its run in the tournament for very long. Axar Patel has captained in 14 IPL matches, guiding the team to victory in 6 of those games.
The Lucknow team made its IPL debut in 2022. At that time, the team handed over the captaincy to KL Rahul. However, success remained elusive. Including Rahul, the team has appointed four different captains to date. Currently, Rishabh Pant is at the helm of the team. Pant led the team just last year; under his captaincy, the team played 14 matches and registered 6 victories. As a captain, Rishabh Pant has led the team in 57 IPL matches, securing a win for the team in 29 of those encounters.
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