From Hardik Pandya to Shubman Gill to Rajat Patidar, meet the captains for IPL 2026

The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to kick off later this month, with excitement building around the tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the first phase of the fixtures on March 12. The competition will begin on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Here’s a look at the captains who will be eager to make a strong impact this season, apart from established stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.

Defending champions RCB will continue with Rajat Patidar as captain after he guided them to their maiden IPL title in 2025. With Virat Kohli alongside him, the team will aim to secure back-to-back championships. However, former India cricketer Anil Kumble believes it will be a tough challenge. “It’s not going to be easy for Rajat Patidar’s RCB to win back-to-back titles. Only CSK and MI have managed to win trophies consecutively before,” he said.

The 29-year-old has had a modest record as captain so far, winning eight of the 19 matches he has led. Recently, strong rumours suggested that Sanju Samson, who was traded from Rajasthan Royals, could be considered for the captaincy. However, CSK dismissed the speculation and confirmed Gaikwad would continue in the role. “Definitely, we will be going for the sixth title this year,” Gaikwad said during the recent team jersey launch.

After leaving KKR, Shreyas Iyer has settled in at Punjab Kings. The Mumbai batter has captained in 87 IPL matches, winning 48 of them. Iyer also made history by becoming the first captain in IPL history to reach back-to-back finals with two different teams.

Shubman Gill is widely regarded as a promising leader. He succeeded Hardik Pandya after the 2023 season, but the journey has not been entirely smooth. Gill has won 14 of the 27 matches he has captained. The 2026 edition will be his third season leading the side. GT failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2024 and were knocked out in the eliminator by Mumbai Indians in 2025. The franchise has not reached an IPL final since 2023.

After his success with Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya was expected to bring similar results to Mumbai Indians. However, since taking over in 2024, the star all-rounder has struggled to deliver consistent success, recording 35 wins from 60 matches as captain.

Kolkata Knight Riders made a bold move by appointing Ajinkya Rahane as captain. The Mumbai-born batter has led teams in 38 IPL matches, winning 14 of them. KKR finished eighth last season and will be hoping for a turnaround in 2026. Individually, Rahane performed well last year, scoring 390 runs in 12 innings at an average of 35.45.

Australia’s Pat Cummins has enjoyed significant success on the international stage but has yet to replicate the same with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite his impressive resume, his IPL captaincy record with SRH stands at 15 wins in 30 matches.

Since leaving Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant has struggled to make a major impact with both his leadership and batting. Pant has captained in 57 IPL matches, winning 27 of them.

Delhi Capitals have appointed Axar Patel as their captain for the 2026 season. The all-rounder faces a challenging task ahead, having won five of the 13 matches he has captained so far.

Rajasthan Royals will miss the influence of Sanju Samson this season. However, with the presence of experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the squad, young captain Riyan Parag could benefit from valuable guidance from the veteran.