IPL Captains Who Could Face Mid Season Sacking

IPL captains who could be sacked [Source: AFP]

The IPL is a tough tournament for everyone involved. It can be especially demanding for team captains, who have to make sure their leadership works for the whole team and helps them get to the playoffs. The franchise owners have invested heavily to build a title-winning squad, and if the team fails to perform, the captains come under scrutiny.

In such a situation, some leaders come out with flying colours, while some fail and crumble under pressure. Even in this season, some skippers have shown their tactical brilliance and have helped their sides win matches. Meanwhile, some have looked clueless and could face mid-season sacking as their side is languishing in the points tally.

In this article, we take a look at three IPL captains who are under immense pressure to deliver the goods, and can even face mid-season sacking if their performances don’t improve.

1) Ajinkya Rahane (KKR)

Perhaps the most obvious name on this list is KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane. After Shreyas Iyer left the franchise before IPL 2025, Rahane became KKR’s panic buy, and the management made him the team skipper.

This move backfired on the former IPL champions as KKR finished 8th in the points tally, with 5 wins out of 14. Several of Rahane’s captaincy decisions were questioned, but the management gave him one more season to prove his worth.

With a fresh season underway (IPL 2026), KKR’s fortunes haven’t changed as the Knight Riders are yet to win a single game this season, and currently sit 9th in the table. Rahane’s tactical knowledge came under scrutiny during the IPL match against Punjab Kings, where he opted to bat first on a seaming deck and under overcast conditions.

If the next few games, KKR’s fortunes don’t change, the franchise might take a harsh call by replacing Rahane as the captain of the side.

2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)

Being MS Dhoni’s successor is no easy feat, and so far, Ruturaj Gaikwad has failed to do so. There was a sense of optimism when MSD handpicked Gaikwad as CSK’s new captain, but the Maharashtra batter has looked out of ideas.

According to statistics, Gaikwad has the fourth-worst record as IPL captain (minimum 20 matches). He has only won 36.36% of his IPL games, and this has hampered CSK, who finished last in IPL 2025. Moreover, captaincy has affected Gaikwad’s batting, as the numbers have drastically dropped.

(IPL captains with worst win percentage)

• Just three IPL captains have a worse win percentage than Gaikwad, and if CSK continue to fail in IPL, the management might replace him mid-season.
• Sanju Samson is already waiting in the wings, and CSK could replace Gaikwad with the Kerala batter.

Also Read: 7 Players For The Price Of 2- Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma Bid Isn't What CSK Can Learn From RCB

3) Rishabh Pant (LSG)

LSG spent a whopping 27 crores to acquire Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was expected to deliver the goods, but Pant failed as a batter, scoring only 269 runs in 14 matches. This took a toll on his captaincy as LSG failed to qualify for the playoffs.

In the first game of the IPL 2026, LSG suffered a defeat, and team owner Sanjiv Geonka was seen in a heated discussion with Pant. The team owner has a history of not having patience with his captains, and if LSG skipper fails to demonstrate his captaincy skills, and if the team fails to do well in the recent games, don’t be surprised if Pant gets replaced with either Aiden Markram or Nicholas Pooran.

Als Read: MS Dhoni Takes Fresh Step For Rest Of IPL 2026 With CSK