Ajinkya Rahane And...? 3 Captains Who Might Be Released For IPL 2026

Abhinav Tyagi

Ajinkya Rahane - (Source :@AP)Ajinkya Rahane - (Source :@AP)

The ongoing IPL edition has reached its business end where three teams have crashed out of the playoff race. Meanwhile, KKR too dealt a heavy blow against CSK, where the Men in Yellow beat them by 2 wickets to hamper their qualification chances.

With the defeat, KKR are now placed 6th on the table with 11 points in 12 matches. After the loss, Ajinkya Rahane was under criticism for his leadership as the fans questioned the under-utilisation of Andre Russell. While there are cries of Rahane to be released from the side, this article will look at three captains who might be released for IPL 2026. 

1.Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is the frontrunner to be released by the franchise going into IPL 2026 auction. Ironically, the most expensive player in the history of the league, has failed to justify his 27 crore price tag. Notably, Pant is having one of his worst seasons in the cash-studded league as a batter and also as a leader.

LSG, who made their IPL debut in 2022, have enjoyed great couple of seasons as they qualified for the playoffs. However, for the ongoing season, the Sanjiv Goenka-backed franchise made a complete overall and brought in Pant to fight for the title.

However, in the ongoing season, LSG are placed 7th on the table with just 5 wins in 11 matches. Talking about Pant's personal performance, he has scored just 128 runs in 10 innings, averaging just 12.80. Thus, the southpaw has looked a pale shadow of his earlier versions and has become a liability to the team. Therefore, chances are there that LSG might look to bring in someone new and utilise their 27 crores in a different manner for next season. 

2.MS Dhoni

For MS Dhoni, it is an obvious season that he might bid adieu to the game after completion of IPL 2025. Ruturaj Gaikwad got ruled out of the tournament early on in the season and MSD took over, but under his leadership, he took several questionable decisions such as ill-structured batting order, and under utilisation of Noor Ahmad, which got the fans talking. 

For IPL 2026, Ruturaj Gaikwad would come in and the Men in Yellow have already brought in several mid-season replacements such as Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, and Ayush Mhatre, who have shown promise. Thus, looking at the future in safe hands, MSD can now look to bid adieu to the game. 

3.Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has had a brilliant season with the bat but his leadership qualities are coming under the scanner as KKR are placed 6th on the table with just 11 points in 12 matches. The first and foremost reason why Rahane has faced fans' wrath is under utilisation of an all-rounder of Andre Russell's calibre.

Notably, in the past two games, KKR promoted Russell up the order and the Caribbean star delivered when it mattered the most, which includes a fifty against Rajasthan Royals. However, Rahane has been under utilising him in the bowling as he is yet to bowl his full quota of overs, despite doing well with the ball. 

Further, KKR's decision to appoint Rahane as a captain was also scrutinised as the management bought the Indian star on day 2 of the mega-auction and that too in the accelerated round. Thus, it would be safe to assume that Ajinkya might be released for IPL 2026.