In a unique moment, the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be the first in which all teams have Indian captains at the start of the tournament. This will be the 19th year of the T20 extravaganza but the first such instance.
Ahead of the season, there was a captaincy change in only one of the 10 teams as Rajasthan Royals (RR) promoted Riyan Parag to become the skipper of the side. RR were forced to make the change as their long-time captain Sanju Samson departed for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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There would have been at least one overseas captain in the league as Australia's Pat Cummins was expected to continue to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) this year as well. However, a recurring back issue has forced him to sit out of the first few matches of the league.
This promoted the SRH management to give the captaincy reins to Ishan Kishan, who is fresh off a T20 World Cup win and also enjoyed a spectacular run in the domestic season. This makes all the 10 teams led by Indians. One can consider this moment as historic as well.
Here is a look at the 10 IPL skippers for the 2026 season:
1. Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals)
Riyan Parag has been with Rajasthan Royals since 2019. Since then he has played 84 matches and accumulated over 1,500 runs. In the last seven years, he became a favourite among the Rajasthan Royals fans and his popularity was only second to former skipper Sanju Samson.
Considering the time that he has spent with the team, it was only natural that he would become the team's skipper once Samson departed. Parag will deal with the same challenge that Samson face while he was at the helm of affairs, to win RR's second title. While Parag has established himself as a formidable batter, it will be interesting to see how he performs with the added burden of leading the side.
2. Ishan Kishan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
There is little clarity of how long Ishan Kishan will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kishan gave glimpses of his leadership skills when he guided Jharkhand to win its maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy last December.
This was followed by phenomenal performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the T20 World Cup. 2025 was his first season with SRH and it was fairly productive one as he scored 354 runs in 14 innings including a fifty and a hundred.
IPL captains gathered for a photoshoot.
Photo Credit: @IPL/X
3. Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Rajat Patidar enters the 2026 season as the captain of the reigning champions. Patidar's status at Royal Challengers Bengaluru skyrocketed as he ended the team's prolonged wait to win the IPL.
The team has been led by some legendary figures, but it took an assured Patidar to finally make RCB champions. Naturally, his captaincy will now come under even greater scrutiny this time around. The 2026 season will be the test of his resilience.
4. Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans)
Gujarat Titans have struggled to replicate the magic of their debut season in 2022, when they lifted the IPL title under Hardik Pandya's leadership. After Pandya's departure to Mumbai Indians, Shubman Gill took over as captain.
While the added responsibility has brought out the best in Gill as a batter, the team is still chasing its second IPL crown. For Gill, the season carries personal stakes as well, with the opener determined to lead the Titans back to the top and reclaim his place in India's T20 squad.
5. Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants)
When Rishabh Pant first started playing top-tier cricket, it felt like his batting is tailor made for white-ball cricket. However, as things are at this moment, it looks like his international white-ball career is almost over. While Pant is struggling to get back to India's white-ball set up, he continues to lead Lucknow Super Giants. LSG haven't tasted much success since they came into existence.
While the team has all the ammunition for a strong season, Pant will be aware that his captaincy is under scrutiny, especially with South Africa's Aiden Markram and Australia's Mitchell Marsh, both captains of their respective national teams, present in the squad. There is still a feeling that Pant carries the burden of being the IPL's most expensive player when he cost LSG Rs 27 crore.
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6. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings)
The arrival of Samson has made things a tad uncomfortable for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Many see Samson as captaincy material. However, the way CSK functions, captaincy should be secure with Gaikwad unless things go really bad. The team is going through a shift.
Old warhorse Ravindra Jadeja was transferred to Rajasthan. There is uncertainty of how long will MS Dhoni will be able to continue. The team has signed a host of new players. It is in these circumstances that Gaikwad leads CSK as they look to become the first team to win six IPL titles.
7. Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Kolkata Knight Riders are looking to repeat the success of 2024. Ajinkya Rahane was made the captain of the side after Shreyas Iyer was released after the title was won. 2025 was a horrible season for the three-time champions as they finished eighth in the points table.
Rahane has plenty on his plate this season and the most pressing issue is the team's rapidly depleting fast bowling resources. On a personal front, Rahane will have to keep reinventing his batting style to make himself relevant as a top-order batter of a T20 side.
Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant having a light moment together.
Photo Credit: @IPL/X
8. Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals)
Axar Patel embodies consistency and the ability to deliver when his team needs him the most. The all-rounder has proven it on the biggest stages, the 2024 T20 World Cup final and again in the 2026 edition.
He now has to produce the same efforts for Delhi Capitals while leading the side. Last year, DC narrowly missed the playoff berth. With some reinforcements, Axar and his troop will be looking to win for Delhi its first IPL title.
9. Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings)
Last year, Iyer took Punjab Kings to the cusp of winning their first IPL title. The team played a fearless brand of cricket and Iyer too batted like a man possessed. Iyer is already an IPL-winning captain and he has a team with a good mix of youth and experience. Iyer and his team will be looking to do one better this time around.
10. Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians)
Hardik Pandya leads a team of superstars. On paper, Mumbai Indians have all the right kind of players and their suitable replacements to win the IPL this year. Pandya will not only have the task of leading the side but also discharge the duty of being the team's key all-rounder too.
He still has the task of winning the hearts of certain section of the Mumbai Indians fans who are miffed when the team's captaincy was passed from Rohit Sharma to him in 2024.
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