IPL 2025 is ready to entertain all the cricket fans, and so are all the 10 IPL team captains, who will look forward to taking their respective teams to glory. While some teams have captains from the previous seasons, others have appointed new players as their captains. How teams fare with old and new captains will be interesting to see, as each captain is set to bring a new style of leadership.
10 Teams, 10 Captains, 1 Champion
Let us have a look at all captains for the IPL 2025 season:
Ruturaj Gaikwad – Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Ruturaj Gaikwad has a calming influence on the team with his presence as an opener and on the field when he leads the team. In the 2024 IPL season, Gaikwad could not take his team to the playoffs, as RCB just edged past CSK with a better net run rate. Ruturaj Gaikwad will hope for a successful IPL season in 2025, with experienced players like MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin available to help him with strategic decisions.
Hardik Pandya – Mumbai Indians (MI)
Hardik Pandya had a torrid time as a captain in the IPL 2024 season, where MI finished at the bottom of the table. Since then, Hardik Pandya has won the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy with the Indian team, making vital contributions to the winning cause. These two massive wins will have lifted his confidence, and the availability of players like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will help him make smart on-field decisions.
Pat Cummins – Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Pat Cummins brings with him the winning mentality, as he has shown with the Australian team by winning the 2023 ODI World Cup, Ashes, and WTC. In the 2024 IPL, he took the Sunrisers Hyderabad team to the final, but could not get his team over the line. With destructive players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Heinrich Klaasen in the team, Pat Cummins will look to launch an assault on the other IPL teams.
Sanju Samson – Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Rajasthan Royals made it to the Qualifier 2 in the IPL 2024 season, thanks to the composed leadership of Sanju Samson. With world-class T20 players like Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jofra Archer, and more, Sanju Samson will look to take the RR team to its second IPL title.
Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans (GT)
Shubman Gill was announced as the GT captain in 2024 after Hardik Pandya made a move back to the Mumbai Indians. Gujarat Titans had a difficult 2024 IPL season, finishing eighth on the points table. Shubman Gill will have to bring his best batting and leadership in the IPL 2025 to take his team to glory. Players like Jos Buttler and Rashid Khan could help Shubman Gill while taking important calls on the field.
Ajinkya Rahane – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR won the IPL in 2024 under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who will be playing for the Punjab Kings this year. Ajinkya Rahane, who is a strong leader, will be leading the KKR team in the 2025 IPL season. He has the experience of leading IPL teams in the past and has shown great success as a leader at an international level too. With plenty of star players, the role of Ajinkya Rahane will be to get the team to play with a solid and aggressive strategy.
Shreyas Iyer – Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Shreyas Iyer lifted the coveted IPL trophy with KKR in 2024, and that too while captaining the side. The reason for not being retained by the KKR team is unknown, but Shreyas Iyer will be leading PBKS in the 2025 IPL season. Shreyas Iyer is coming into the IPL 2025 season after being India’s leading run-scorer in the 2025 Champions Trophy. With coach Ricky Ponting, Shreyas Iyer will look to lead PBKS to its maiden IPL title.
Rajat Patidar – Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Rajat Patidar has been one of the most consistent and reliable batters for RCB in the past few years. For his consistent performances, RCB has trusted him with the leadership role in the 2025 IPL season. He will have the full support of Virat Kohli, who has led the franchise in the past. Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, RCB will look to clinch its first IPL title.
Axar Patel – Delhi Capitals (DC)
Axar Patel has been an integral part of the DC team since 2019, making some valuable contributions throughout these years. Despite having players like Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul for the leadership role, DC management has shown great faith in Axar Patel to lead the team in the 2025 IPL season. While this will be the first season as a leader for Axar Patel, he has shown in the past that he plays with great maturity.
Rishabh Pant – Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Rishabh Pant was not only picked as the most expensive player in the IPL history by LSG, he was also appointed as the captain. He has the experience of leading an IPL team, as he was the captain of DC from 2021. LSG under Rishabh Pant will be an aggressive team, as the likes of Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, and Mitchell Marsh are ready to explode.
Captains to Watch Out for in the IPL 2025 Season
The following are the top 5 captains to watch out for in the 2025 IPL season:
- Ajinkya Rahane – KKR
- Rishabh Pant – LSG
- Shreyas Iyer – PBKS
- Pat Cummins – SRH
- Hardik Pandya – MI
Concluding Thoughts
The 18th season of the IPL will be played from 23rd March to 25th May, where 10 captains will put their best foot forward to clinch an IPL title. While some are experienced leaders, the others will need to adapt quickly to the role and make smart decisions. IPL fans around the country will hope that their favorite team makes it to the playoffs and wins the prestigious IPL trophy.