The captains of these 5 flop teams came on the radar as soon as the league stage ended, the captaincy can be snatched away next season.
The league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) has now officially ended. After 70 tough matches this season, only 4 out of 10 teams, defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Gujarat Titans (GT), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have made the playoff ticket.
On the other hand, 6 teams are out of the race for the tournament. After this shameful exit, the captains of 5 out of 6 teams who were out of the playoff race have come under the radar of the management and fans. Along with the team’s strategies, the personal performance of these captains has also been very disappointing, due to which the captaincy can be snatched from them in the next season of IPL. Let’s take a look at the performance of these 5 captains:
1. Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians – MI)
Ever since Hardik Pandya, who made Gujarat Titans champion once and runner-up once under his captaincy, has returned to Mumbai Indians, both his luck and form have turned sour. In the last 3 seasons under the captaincy of Hardik, Mumbai has been able to reach the playoffs only once, while twice the team remained at the bottom of the table. This season, the pressure of captaincy was clearly visible on his game.
Personal Performance (IPL 2026): Only 206 runs in 10 matches and only 4 wickets in bowling.
Future: Mumbai Indians may look for a new captain next season to save their reputation, although Pandya may remain a part of the team as a player.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings – CSK)
The last three seasons have been no less than a nightmare for 5-time champion Chennai Super Kings. The team has not been able to qualify for the playoffs even once in the last 3 years. This season, without the on-field guidance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gaikwad looked under complete pressure, which had a direct impact on his strike rate.
Personal Performance (IPL 2026): 337 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of less than 125.
Future: CSK has the option of an experienced and prepared captain in the form of Sanju Samson, due to which Gaikwad can be relieved of the captaincy.
3. Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants – LSG)
Serious questions are also being raised on the captaincy style of Rishabh Pant, who is priced at a whopping ₹27 crore. The Lucknow team has been playing very poor cricket in the beginning for the last two seasons and when it comes to being out of the tournament, the players play openly. Pant’s own form has been far below his international standards.
Personal Performance (IPL 2026): Just 312 runs in 14 matches.
Future: LSG can retain Pant in the team, but they already have two experienced international captains like Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram for leadership.
Report card of captains who came on radar (IPL 2026 Stats)
4. Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals – DC)
Axar Patel is undoubtedly one of India’s finest all-rounders, but as a captain, he has failed to lead from the front. As soon as he got the responsibility of captaincy, there was a decline in his natural all-round performance.
Personal Performance (IPL 2026): Only 173 runs in 14 matches and 11 wickets in bowling.
Future: Delhi Capitals needs an aggressive leader. There is an option of KL Rahul in the team, who has already taken his team to the playoffs.
5. Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR)
It seems as if the fortunes of 2024 champion Kolkata Knight Riders changed in just one year. After mentor Gautam Gambhir became the head coach of Team India and released champion captain Shreyas Iyer, the team took the field without any big leader. At the last moment, experienced Ajinkya Rahane was given the captaincy, but due to his defensive attitude, the team’s performance was very disappointing.
Personal Performance (IPL 2026): Was seen struggling to score runs with the bat throughout the season.
Future: KKR will need an aggressive captain for the next season, who can make the team champion again with new and modern thinking.
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