Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya - (Source: AFP)
IPL 2026 concluded successfully on Sunday, with RCB lifting their 2nd IPL trophy. Rajat Patidar entered an elite list of captains to have won an IPL title more than once. The world heaped massive praise on the MP-based cricketer, who has been brilliant as a captain.
However, if we look at other franchises this season, most of them have had captaincy issues. Lucknow Super Giants became the first victim as Rishabh Pant resigned as captain right after LSG finished 10th on the points table.
Similar to LSG, there are other teams too that are contemplating changing captains, and this article will shed light on five players who can captain a franchise in IPL 2027.
5 Players Who Can Lead A Franchise In IPL 2027
1. KL Rahul - Delhi Capitals
KL Rahul joined Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, the same year when Rishabh Pant left for LSG and DC were without a captain. The right-handed batter was in contention to lead the Capitals, but opted out because of his poor stint with LSG.
However, Axar Patel is doing no good, and it has been two seasons since he has been leading the side. In IPL 2026, DC finished 6th and were disappointing. Patel’s leadership came under question, and the fans were disappointed when he abandoned hopes of playing qualifiers mid-season despite DC being mathematically alive in the tournament.
Therefore, it is possible that since JSW will take over the management in 2027, KL Rahul will be reappointed as the captain.
| Criteria | Data |
| Matches Captained | 64 |
| Matches Won | 32 |
| Matches Lost | 32 |
(KL Rahul's Stats as IPL captain)
2. Rinku Singh - Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders got off to the worst possible start in IPL 2026 as they lost the first five matches. Ajinkya Rahane was under a lot of pressure. The team made a stellar comeback but still finished 7th on the points table.
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Ajinkya Rahane is on the wrong end of 30s, and his form with the bat is not great as well. The right-handed batter has scored just 355 runs in 14 innings, at a strike rate of 135, which is almost criminal in today’s world. Therefore, high chance that KKR releases Rahane ahead of IPL 2027.
In that case, Rinku Singh will take over as the southpaw, who was named the vice-captain ahead of IPL 2026.
(Rinku is yet to lead a franchise, but captained KKR briefly in a match during IPL 2026)
3. Mitchell Marsh - Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants are officially in the hunt for a new captain as Rishabh Pant announced his resignation days after LSG crashed out of IPL 2026. According to reports, the management have shortlisted Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran to succeed Rishabh Pant.
Mitchell Marsh seems to be the frontrunner to replace Pant because the right-handed batter had a brilliant season with the bat, and also leads Australia in T20Is. Talking about Marsh, the Bison became the first player in LSG history to have two back-to-back 600+ run seasons.
| Criteria | Data |
| Matches Captained | 39 |
| Matches Won | 27 |
| Matches Lost | 9 |
(Mitchell Marsh's captaincy stats for Australia in T20Is)
4. Tilak Varma - Mumbai Indians
Things are not well within the Mumbai Indians’ camp, and it was made public on several occassions. The camp is not happy with Hardik Pandya, and there are trustworthy reports that Hardik Pandya will leave Mumbai Indians before IPL 2027.
It has been 3 seasons for Hardik at MI, and the player is yet to win any silverware here. In IPL 2026, things got worse as his form went for a toss, and the all-rounder was also injured a lot, raising eyebrows over his commitment.
Hence, the front-runner at the moment seems to be Tilak Varma. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav are themselves struggling for form, which is why Tilak seems to be the best choice to lead the five-time winners.
5. Ishan Kishan - Sunrisers Hyderabad
On Wednesday, June 3, Pat Cummins hogged the internet for hinting that he might not be available for IPL 2027 because of international commitments. Next year is quite important because there is Ashes and also the ODI World Cup.
“Something has got to give at some stage next year, and it’s not going to be Test matches or an ODI World Cup,” Cummins, an Amazon Prime Video ambassador ahead of the women’s T20 World Cup, told this masthead.
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