IPL 2025 Captains List

Chennai Super Kings – Ruturaj GaikwadRuturaj Gaikwad was handed over the captaincy duties of the Chennai Super Kings by longtime skipper MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024. Ruturaj, who was bought by CSK during the 2018 season, and enjoyed a breakthough campaign in 2020, played a pivotal role in the team's title win in 2021.
Ahead of IPL 2024, Dhoni handed over the responsibility of leading the franchise to the 28-year-old. This was a big step for the team that had previously tried to shift the leadership duties to Ravindra Jadeja only for it to fall flat.
In his maiden IPL season as CSK captain, Gaikwad led the team to fifth spot and they missed out on a playoff spot.
Gujarat Titans – Shubman Gill
Following Hardik Pandya’s departure to Mumbai Indians in a trade that involved cash and a player, the 2022 IPL Champions roped in star opener Shubman Gill for the captaincy role. The stylish batter took over the job ahead of the 2024 season and will continue that job in 2025 as well.
As a batter, Gill had a fairytale IPL 2023. The right-hander won the Orange Cap after smashing 890 runs in 17 innings at an average of 59.33 with a strike rate of 157.8 featuring four 50s and three 100s.
In his first season as an IPL captain, Titans finished eighth in the 10-team table with five wins and seven defeats. They subsequently missed out on a playoff spot. With the bat he could only muster 426 runs at an average of 38.73 and strike rate of 147.40.
Mumbai Indians – Hardik Pandya
After leading the Gujarat Titans to a title win in their inaugural season, all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024 in what was a blockbuster trade involving cash and a player swap. Making the whole exchange even more jaw-dropping was the fact that he went on to replace Rohit Sharma as the MI captain which resulted in plenty of criticism and public outrage by the Mumbai Indians faithful.
To make the big money make sense, Mumbai Indians also traded Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 17.5 Crores).
His first season back was one to forget - individually and as a collective bunch for the five-time IPL champions. Mumbai finished bottom of the standings with just four wins from 14 matches and to make matters worse, the franchise was criticised for their decision to change captains and Pandya was jeered by fans everywhere he went.
Pandya has been captain in 45 IPL matches, winning 26 and losing 19 for a win-loss record of 1.36.
Punjab Kings – Shreyas Iyer
After missing out on IPL 2023 due to a back injury, Shreyas Iyer returned as the leader of the Kolkata Knight Riders and led them to their third title.
Before KKR, Iyer had led the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2018 where his leadership skills were lauded in their foray to the playoffs for three straight seasons. It was in IPL 2020 that DC reached the final. He then took over the captaincy armband at KKR with the big achievement coming in the 2024 edition.
During the 2025 season, Iyer would captain the Punjab Kings having not been retained by the KKR. Overall, Iyer has captained in 70 matches, winning 38, losing 29 and tying two.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Ajinkya Rahane
KKR have announced Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for the IPL 2025 season. The experienced batter, who was one of the nominees for the role, succeeds Shreyas Iyer, who led Kolkata to the IPL 2024 title. While many anticipated Rahane’s appointment, there was also speculation about KKR's ₹23.75 crore acquisition, Venkatesh Iyer, potentially being named captain. Ultimately, KKR entrusted Rahane with the leadership role.
During his previous captaincy with Rajasthans Royals in IPL 2018, Rahane guided the team to the playoffs but did not reach the final.
Overall, Rahane has captained 25 IPL matches from 2017 to 2019, leading Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant. His captaincy record includes 9 wins, 16 losses, and a win percentage of 36%.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar, 31, will lead the big ask of steering Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their first IPL title during the 2025 season. The decision follows the release of former captain Faf du Plessis.
Despite speculation surrounding a potential return of Virat Kohli as captain, RCB’s choice of Patidar demonstrates the franchise's commitment to a new direction in their leadership.
This will be Rajat Patidar’s first IPL captaincy role, although he previously led Madhya Pradesh in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. In these tournaments, he showcased his leadership capabilities, guiding his team to the finals in the SMAT 2024 and finishing third in group E of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, narrowly missing out on a quarter-final spot.
Having made his IPL debut in 2021, Patidar has played 27 matches for RCB and was retained by the franchise for Rs 11 crore prior to the 2025 mega auction.
Rajasthan Royals – Sanju Samson
Stylish Kerala wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will continue to lead the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the forthcoming IPL 2025.
Under Samson's guidance, Rajasthan Royals finished third in the points table - behind Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the playoffs, they were bundled out by the SRH in the second qualifier.
On an individual level, Samson scored 531 runs in the season with five fifties to his name to emerge as the fifth-highest run-getter.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Pat Cummins
After a wooden spoon under Aiden Markram, Sunrisers Hyderabad turned their attention to Australia's Pat Cummins going into IPL 2024. The franchise was almost immediately rewarded with a stunning batting show as they went hammer and tongs throughout the season. They were eventually stopped short by Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.
Prior to Cummins, SRH had back-to-back seasons of different captains with David Warner first and then Markram. Now, they will enter IPL 2025 with the Aussie in charge once again, even though he's been out of action with an ankle injury.
Cummins has captained in 16 matches in the IPL, winning nine and losing seven. All of these matches have come for SRH.
Lucknow Super Giants – Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is the new captain in the Lucknow Super Giants camp and the wicketkeeper-batter will spearhead the side in IPL 2025. He had been acquired by the team for Rs 27 crore during the auction.
He will be the fourth captain in LSG's history, following KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Krunal Pandya.
This marks Pant's second term as an IPL captain; he previously led the Delhi Capitals from 2021 to 2024, excluding the 2023 season, which he missed due to injuries from a car accident in December 2022.
Pant's nine-year tenure with DC ended on October 31, just ahead of the IPL 2025 retention deadline, with his release attributed primarily to the leadership role.
Delhi Capitals – Axar Patel
Axar Patel has been named captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025. He has been with the team since 2019 and was their top retention for Rs 16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction. While his captaincy experience is limited, he was appointed India's T20I vice-captain.
At 31, Axar has led his state team, Gujarat, in 23 matches across various formats, including the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He previously captained DC in one IPL match last year — a crucial game against RCB that they lost, resulting in their failure to reach the playoffs — while Rishabh Pant, the previous skipper, was serving a ban for a slow over-rate.
With Pant's departure, Axar became DC's most experienced player, having participated in 82 games over six seasons. Last year, he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65.
Among the original eight IPL franchises, DC are one of three — along with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru — that has yet to win a title. The team finished sixth last season, with an equal record of seven wins and seven losses.