Rajat Patidar emerged as the title-winning captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the second year in a row, but it was a mixed year for skippers of all 10 teams. While some stood out by not just leading their team in an exemplary manner but also by their performances with the bat or ball. However, a few captains had a season to forget and could have even led their squad for the last time.
Rishabh Pant has already stepped down as LSG captain, while it is expected that Hardik Pandya is also set to bid adieu to the Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, the likes of Patidar, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer, as well as Riyan Parag and Ishan Kishan, have enhanced their reputations.
Chect Out Our IPL 2026 Captain’s Report Card 2026
Rajat Patidar (10/10): Rajat Patidar became the first IPL captain in history to lead his team to two titles in his first two seasons, and there is nothing about him you could fault. While he led exceptionally like last season, this time his bat fired throughout the tournament, unlike a slump in the second half of the season in 2025. He won the Player of the Match (POTM) award in the first qualifier with a 33-ball 93. The star batter finished with 501 runs despite batting at number four in 13 of the 15 seasons. His strike rate of 192.69 is the best by a captain in a season with more than 500 runs.
Shubman Gill (9/10): Shubman Gill showed why he is India’s captain in two formats and why he still remains in contention to lead the national team in T20Is. He took a Gujarat Titans (GT) team, which many did not fancy at the start of the tournament, to the final while bringing out the best of the pace attack, which was the best in the tournament. The 26-year-old had another flawless season with the bat with 732 runs, including a century in the second qualifier.
Ishan Kishan (8.5/10): Ishan Kishan led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the first seven games in Pat Cummins’ absence. The wicketkeeper-batter impressed in the top job as he oversaw the transition from experienced cricketers like Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal to debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, which saw the 2016 champions turn into a top-class bowling attack overnight. He made 238 runs in seven innings with the bat in his time as captain. In his tenure, SRH won four of their seven games.
Pat Cummins (7.5/10): Pat Cummins did a top job after returning to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) mid-way through the season. He ensured they managed to qualify for the playoffs and finished equal on points with the two finalists, RCB and GT. He also impressed with the ball, with eight wickets in eight games.
Shreyas Iyer (7/10): Shreyas Iyer seemed to have broken the door down to become India’s next T20I captain after leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a record start with six victories in a row (and one washout) to start the season while playing multiple match-winning knocks. However, the team then lost six matches in a row. He ended the season with a maiden IPL century but fell short of the 500 runs with 498 runs in 13 innings.
Riyan Parag (6/10): In his first full season as captain, Riyan Parag managed to take the Rajasthan Royals (RR) inches closer to the final as they lost in the second qualifier. However, the all-rounder’s individual performance left a lot to be desired as he scored just 309 runs (two half-centuries) and got only two wickets. However, he was the only captain whose team did well despite not performing up to expectations.
Axar Patel (4/10): Axar Patel had the services of one of the most balanced teams in the competition, but they missed out on the playoffs. This included a poor start individually with the bat, as he had just 46 runs in the first seven innings. While impressive displays in the last three games took his tally to 173 runs, he gained points with an impressive display with the ball as he took 11 wickets at an economy of 8.18.
Ajinkya Rahane (3.5/10): Ajinkya Rahane managed to lift the spirits of the team and almost reach the playoffs after losing their first five games (and one washout), but ultimately they fell short. Rahane’s own performances left a lot to desire with the bat as he made just 335 runs at a strike-rate of 135.08.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (3/10): While Ruturaj Gaikwad was handed a hard deal leading a very young team, as several first-choice players (Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, and Ayush Mhatre) were injured, he did not do himself any favors with a shambolic season with the bat, as he made just 337 runs in 14 games at an underwhelming strike rate of 123.44.
Hardik Pandya (2/10): Hardik Pandya had the best squad on paper, and a 9th place finish is simply not acceptable for a club of Mumbai Indians (MI). While all top stars lost form, the star all-rounder himself had a dismal season with just 206 runs with the bat and four wickets with the ball.
Rishabh Pant (2/10): Rishabh Pant’s dismal time at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after becoming the most expensive player continued with a second successive poor season. He made only 312 runs with the bat while the franchise’s fortunes went from bad to worse as they suffered the embarrassment of a wooden spoon finish.
*Suryakumar Yadav, Yashavi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan, Jitesh Sharma who led in 3 or lesser matches are not counted*
