The IPL 2026 retention lists are out, confirming the squads for all franchises and finalizing captains for eight teams. However, two franchises are still without confirmed leaders and may target their captains during the upcoming auction. Let’s take a closer look at these teams.
Kolkata Knight Riders in search of a leader
Kolkata Knight Riders are planning significant changes ahead of IPL 2026. The team released 13 players, including Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell.
Last season, Ajinkya Rahane led the side, but under his captaincy, the team’s performance was below expectations. As a result, KKR is expected to use the mini auction on December 16 to secure a new captain.
With the highest remaining purse of ₹64.40 crore, KKR has ample resources to recruit a strong leader and strengthen their squad significantly.
Rajasthan Royals still deciding on captaincy
Rajasthan Royals traded Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings while bringing in Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. There are speculations that Jadeja could be appointed captain following Samson’s departure, but no official announcement has been made yet.
It is likely that Rajasthan Royals will also look to the auction to find a player capable of leading the team, making them another franchise that could secure a captain during IPL 2026’s mini auction.
Confirmed IPL 2026 Captains
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Ruturaj Gaikwad
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Pat Cummins
Gujarat Titans (GT): Shubman Gill
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): Rishabh Pant
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Rajat Patidar
Delhi Capitals (DC): Axar Patel
Punjab Kings (PBKS): Shreyas Iyer
Mumbai Indians (MI): Hardik Pandya
Teams yet to finalize captains
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
CSK may appoint Sanju Samson as vice-captain, with MS Dhoni continuing in a leadership role.
PBKS might consider Shashank Singh for a leadership position.
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