The Indian Premier League 2026 season, scheduled to begin on March 28, will see a host of familiar faces return to lead their respective teams.
IPL 2026 will also feature a new leader in Riyan Parag, who is set to helm the Rajasthan Royals after Sanju Samson was traded to the Chennai Super Kings.
The remaining nine teams have retained their skippers from last season. That marks an increase from the previous year, when only five franchises – Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad – stuck with the same captains.
Sunrisers Hyderabad remain the only side led by an overseas player, with Australia’s Pat Cummins in charge.
Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni and Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma remain the most successful captains in IPL history, with five titles each.
However, both veterans now play under new leadership, having stepped down from their roles earlier. Rohit will play under Hardik Pandya at the Mumbai Indians, while Dhoni will turn out under Ruturaj Gaikwad at the Chennai Super Kings.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Rajat Patidar, will be aiming for another title as their skipper looks to emulate Kolkata Knight Riders’ Gautam Gambhir, one of the three captains to have won multiple IPL trophies.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer – both former IPL-winning captains – will also be eyeing a second title as leaders.
Here’s the full list of IPL 2026 captains.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/ipl-2026-captains-list-cricket-indian-premier-league
