With so much at stake, the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes with its own set of rules. Do well, and you are immortalised, but struggle, and you will pay the price. And it appears the moment of truth has arrived for the struggling trio of Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant. Captains of the Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively, all three are likely to be sacked from their leadership roles following underwhelming returns in IPL 2026, according to a report carried in the Press Trust of India. Pant’s LSG became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, and although DC and KKR are still mathematically alive, it appears only a matter of time before they bow out as well.
“Three IPL captains are in the line of fire due to campaigns that have been nothing short of disastrous and they could end up losing their jobs when the season winds up later this month, sources tracking developments in various franchises have indicated. Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant have captained for two successive seasons and failed miserably in their bid to take their respective teams into the playoffs,” the PTI report stated.
Pant’s struggles
The writing was on the wall. Not only have all three failed to lead from the front, but their body language and inability to instil confidence have rubbed off on the entire team. With 251 runs from 11 matches, this appears to be a repeat of his struggles from last year for Pant. LSG spent a fortune on the wicketkeeper-batter, making him the costliest purchase in IPL history in 2024, but the returns expected from the skipper have simply not come. This is the second season in a row that LSG have failed to make the IPL playoffs.
“In Pant's case, it is an open secret in franchise cricket that captaincy doesn't sit well with him. Pant has tried batting at different positions, but it has often seemed that he is carrying a thousand-ton burden on his shoulders. In a franchise ecosystem where instant results are the norm, failing to qualify for two successive seasons is unlikely to go down well,” the report stated.
Axar’s lack of decision-making
{{/usCountry}}“In Pant's case, it is an open secret in franchise cricket that captaincy doesn't sit well with him. Pant has tried batting at different positions, but it has often seemed that he is carrying a thousand-ton burden on his shoulders. In a franchise ecosystem where instant results are the norm, failing to qualify for two successive seasons is unlikely to go down well,” the report stated.
Axar’s lack of decision-making
{{/usCountry}}Axar cuts the sorriest figure of the three. Unable to replicate his heroics for India, Axar’s captaincy has hurt the Capitals badly. The team has choked on several occasions this season, failing to close out games it was in position to win. David Miller should never have knocked off two required off two balls against the Gujarat Titans. Karun Nair should not have dropped a couple of sitters as DC failed to defend 264 against the Punjab Kings. KL Rahul may have been a contender for the Orange Cap, but in many of the matches where he scored heavily, the Capitals still failed to get over the line.
“In 12 games, Axar has bowled only 36 overs, exactly three overs per game, and picked up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.08. While the economy rate looks respectable considering the punishment endured by fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Axar has often under-bowled himself. With Delhi Capitals having an arrangement of equal owners – JSW and GMR split management responsibilities in alternate cycles – next season will see Parth Jindal and JSW taking charge of cricket operations,” the report added.
“The decisions to ignore a flamboyant batter like Abhishek Porel, not using an all-rounder like Madhav Tiwari consistently, and throwing an out-of-sync youngster like Sahil Parakh into the deep end expecting him to do a Vaibhav Suryavanshi have not gone unnoticed. Parakh undoubtedly has talent but remains a work in progress. With mega auctions slated for 2027, Axar as a player could still be retained but there has been little evidence of dynamic leadership so far. As decision-making powers shift from GMR to JSW, Axar's future as leader certainly isn't cast in stone.”
Rahane didn’t inspire confidence either
Lastly, Rahane’s appointment as captain was always frowned upon. A 37-year-old who, even in his prime, was not exactly a T20 behemoth, was handed the responsibility purely because KKR lacked options. During the season, an animated exchange between CEO Venky Mysore and owner Shah Rukh Khan also went viral, prompting people to speculate on all sorts of things. Regardless, the fact remains that KKR, who won the IPL in 2024 under Shreyas Iyer, never really managed to take off this season. Once they went winless in the first six matches, no comeback would be enough. They are currently placed eighth on the points table following last evening’s defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and are on the verge of elimination.
“Rahane's appointment at KKR was largely a classic TINA (There Is No Alternative) case as the franchise lacked credible leadership options. It also helped that his former Mumbai teammate Abhishek Nayar was at the helm as head coach. However, KKR were hamstrung by the fact that Rahane and Nayar's protege Angkrish Raghuvanshi could not match the pace demanded from top-order batters in modern T20 cricket,” said the report.