The Indian Premier League IPL 2026 season is about to end soon. Playoffs are currently being fought for. However, there are three Indian captains who might lose their captaincy at the end of the season, according to PTI news agency.
Also Read: Delhi Capitals Coaching Staff Under Threat After IPL 2026 Failure
The captains who are in jeopardy are Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants’ captain), Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals’ captain), and Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain). What should surprise you is that Rishabh Pant’s squad, the Lucknow Super Giants, was one of the teams that exited from the playoffs along with the Mumbai Indians.
Interestingly enough, Hardik Pandya, whose team had a bad season, missed the cut. That can mean either that the franchise fully trusts their captain, or the decision will be made later in the year. The Blue and Gold Men take on Punjab Kings this Thursday in Dharamsala.
Delhi, KKR, and LSG Could See Captaincy Changes After IPL 2026
There are three IPL team captains who have found themselves in a dangerous position owing to their supposedly poor performance during the ongoing IPL 2026 season. According to sources following the matter across more than one franchise, Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals), Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders), and Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants) are likely to miss out on retaining their captaincy roles after the IPL season concludes.
The reason for this is that all three are currently team captains for their franchises for the past two consecutive seasons without any success whatsoever on the field.
Continuation of Axar as the captain of DC is a WONDER!
As reported by the news and media, it would be really miraculous for this man of 32 years old from Gujarat to continue as the DC captain in the upcoming season. According to the sources, it is said that the inability of Patel to make independent decisions and rely on his support members could cost him his captainship position in the next season.
Further sources suggested that the coach might be fired because of the miserable performance of the Delhi team in the 2026 season. Patel has performed miserably this season as a player scoring only 100 runs in twelve games. Out of the total 100, 56 runs were scored in his last match of the season against PBKS, where his team emerged as winners by three wickets. On the other side with the ball, he managed to get just ten wickets.
Pant and Rahane to lose their Position
One of the most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is now aiming to move past their captain, one of India’s finest batsmen. At the age of 37, Ajinkya Rahane took the team to four consecutive losses during the early stages of the season and then led them to four consecutive victories. Their recent loss against Bengaluru might make it difficult for them to qualify for the playoffs.
The young Rishabh Pant is one of the most expensive players ever to be bought for the IPL. His contract of INR 27 crores was considered the priciest one in the history of the league. The team owner, Sanjiv Goenka, wasted no time in naming him as the new captain and hoped that everything will change for the better and the two will go on to win many more games together.
Questions Over Strike Rate and Leadership
Raghuvanshi made 340 runs with an average strike-rate of 139+, and Rahane scored 237 runs with an average strike-rate of 133. Both of them played in a way that often disrupted any flow in powerplays and middle overs.
In all, in 11 matches, both of them together could manage just 25 sixes, with an average of just two maximums per game between them. Many people feel that Rahane and Raghuvanshi need not have played alongside each other, and their inclusion proved detrimental for the team as well.
In fact, Rahane had defended himself against all critics of his low strike-rate by saying that they are jealous of him. At the age of 37 years, it remains to be seen if he is able to adjust to the changed pace of T20 cricket. While Axar and Pant will always be considered hot prospects, there does not seem much future left for Rahane in IPL.
Axar Patel, Rahane, and Pant Struggle to Lead Teams Into IPL 2026 Playoffs
However, despite Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rishabh Pant leading their respective teams for consecutive years, they have been faring badly and cannot take their teams to play in the playoffs.
It is already known that Lucknow Super Giants are sure to be out of the playoffs. But in actuality, the team captained by Ajinkya Rahane in Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as the Delhi Capitals side captained by Axar Patel, are also likely not to make it to the playoffs.
The performance of Axar as a player and also a captain has been quite pathetic. So far, he has scored only 100 runs in nine matches. Though he scored 56 runs in one match, he scored just 44 runs in eight matches.
