Three IPL captains are under fire for what have been nothing short of disastrous campaigns and could end up losing their jobs when the season ends later this month, sources following developments at various franchises said.
Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant have been captains for two consecutive seasons and have failed in their quest to take their teams to the playoffs.
Only Lucknow Super Giants are officially out, making Pant the biggest fall fighter in adverse seasons. But for all practical purposes, Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders and Axar-led Delhi Capitals are unlikely to be present during the business end of the high-profile league.
AXAR IS MISSING EVENT LEADERSHIP
Axar’s numbers as a captain and player make for poor reading. He scored just 100 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 112.50, with 56 coming in one innings and the remaining 44 aggregating eight strikes, despite batting mostly in the top five.
In 12 games, Axar bowled just 36 overs, exactly three overs per game, and took 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.08. While the economy rate looks respectable, considering the punishment his colleague Kuldeep Yadav took, Axar often tossed and turned.
With Delhi Capitals having an equal ownership arrangement, JSW and GMR have shared managerial responsibilities in alternate cycles. Next season, Parth Jindal and JSW will take charge of the cricket operations.
“With Axar completely failing to prove his leadership value and decision-making mostly dependent on Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao, it will be a miracle if he retains the captaincy next year.
“It is also unlikely that the entire coaching staff will be retained,” a source following the IPL development told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The decision to ignore a flamboyant batter like Abhishek Porel, not use an all-rounder like Madhav Tiwari consistently and throw an out-of-sync youngster like Sahil Parakh into the deep end in the expectation that he will do Vaibhav Suryavanshi has not gone unnoticed. Parakh undoubtedly has talent but is still a work in progress.
With mega-auctions planned for 2027, Axar could still be retained as a player, but there is little evidence of dynamic leadership so far. With decision-making powers shifting from GMR to JSW, Axar’s future as a leader is certainly not set in stone.
NOT EXACTLY ‘PANT’ASTIC’
In Pant’s case, it is an open secret in franchise cricket the captaincy does not suit him. Pant tried batting in different positions but often seemed to carry a thousand-ton weight on his shoulders.
In a franchise ecosystem where instant results are the norm, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka is unlikely to qualify for two consecutive seasons. In franchise circles, Goenka is known as someone willing to pay top dollar, in Pant’s case nearly US$3 million, but also someone who demands performances that can justify the reward.
Pant’s 251 runs at a strike rate of 138 is poor by modern T20 standards. The pressure he is under is reflected in the fact that he has hit just nine sixes in 11 matches. The flow that once defined his batting seems to be missing and some of the team composition decisions have left even die-hard LSG fans confused.
Why was Arshin Kulkarni, whose Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy success rate hovers around 134, forced to open in the IPL? His 17 off 24 balls as an opener beggars belief these days. Did Pant take the call or was it coach Justin Langer and the support staff?
Even behind Kulkarni, questions remain about repeated opportunities for Himmat Singh, whose T20 home run tally barely crosses 130. Similarly, why has Ayush Badoni been repeatedly preferred in the top half despite not commanding the muscular game expected of modern T20 batsmen?
The poor form of Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram certainly hurt the campaign greatly, but Pant never looked like a captain with the tactical acumen required for this format.
RAHANE TAKES CHARGE
Rahane’s appointment to KKR was largely a classic case of TINA (There Is No Alternative) as the franchise lacked credible leadership options. It also helped that he had his former Mumbai teammate Abhishek Nayar at the helm as head coach.
However, KKR were hamstrung by the fact that Rahane and Nayar’s protégé Angkrish Raghuvanshi could not match the pace required of top batsmen in modern T20 cricket. Raghuvanshi scored 340 runs with a success rate of 139 plus, while skipper Rahane managed 237 runs with a success rate of 133. Both of them were placed in the top three positions, resulting in a loss of momentum in almost every game.
In 11 matches, the duo combined for just 25 sixes, an average of barely two sixes per match. Rahane and Raghuvanshi should ideally not play together in the same playing XI and the management’s stubbornness has proved costly for the franchise.
When asked about his strike rate earlier this season, Rahane talked about people being jealous but at 37, he may need to introspect on whether he can still keep up with the changing demands of T20 cricket.
While Axar and Pant will continue to be in demand as players, it is safe to say that Rahane is unlikely to attract interest from any franchise in the next mini-auction, unless KKR decide to stick with him for one more season in a bizarre move. This move could prove to be counterproductive.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
May 14, 2026 1:06 PM IST
