For several franchises, IPL 2026 has been a humbling experience. Some teams arrived with plans and preparation in place, while others simply backed their leadership group and hoped for the best. At the same time, certain teams have been held back by their captains or by a shortage of leadership quality.
In a league where captaincy counts for the most, some captains have been unable to do so and to inspire their unit to perform as one. Today we take a look at three franchises that are in search of a new captain in IPL 2027.
Here are the 3 franchises that are in search of new captains in IPL 2027:
3. Rajasthan Royals
Under Riyan Parag’s captaincy, the Rajasthan Royals made it into the playoffs with ease, losing to Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2. This was Parag’s first full season as RR captain, and he was impressive with his leadership skills. However, his individual performances were below par with 309 runs, and the fact that RR will be under new owners in IPL 2027 means they might want to mould the franchise in their own way and begin the new journey with a new captain.
2. Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals were captained by Axar Patel in the last two IPL seasons and failed to reach the playoffs despite good starts to both seasons. Axar Patel’s captaincy was below par as he looked lost and panicked in pressure situations, which didn’t help the team’s performance. With DC going with a new coaching staff under Sourav Ganguly and a new management cycle, expect the franchise to appoint someone else as the captain while retaining Axar as a player. There are a few candidates to become DC captain in the squad already, but they can also look in the IPL 2027 auction.
1. Kolkata Knight Riders
Ajinkya Rahane’s retirement from international cricket and the IPL vacate the captaincy spot in Kolkata Knight Riders as well. Rahane was a safe choice as captain by KKR, but the franchise didn’t perform to its potential in the seasons Rahane led it. While they have Rinku Singh as the captaincy option, KKR might also look for someone else to trade or buy someone in the IPL 2027 auction to become their new captain if they don’t have faith in Rinku’s abilities.
