The Indian Premier League IPL 2025 is just over two months away and we are getting closer to the beginning as the days go by. Every franchise has picked their team in the auction and they must have made up their mind about who will lead their respective teams. Some teams have the clarity and certainty about who will be the captain of the side while some might still be looking at the best possible choice. Today, we will see the probable captains of all the teams in IPL 2025. We will also see what are the options the franchises have in the squad. So let’s start.
Probable Captains of all the IPL Teams in 2025
(1) Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Although there is no official confirmation, we will likely see Ruturaj Gaikwad leading CSK in IPL 2025. With MS Dhoni relinquishing the captaincy and giving it to Gaikwad, there is no ifs and buts. Gaikwad has done a decent enough job, having won 7 games out of 14. If CSK could have won that game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) which was a virtual eliminator, they could have finished in the top 4 as well. But, it wasn’t meant to be as Yash Dayal kept his nerve against MS Dhoni in the last over.
(2) Rajasthan Royals (RR)
For RR also, it is almost certain that Sanju Samson will lead the team. He has been captaining the side for the last few seasons. Sanju has done well in his captaincy tenure. In his leadership, RR played in the final of the IPL 2022 and qualified in the top 4 in 2024. With the bat as well, he has done well and led from the front. Maybe, we will see him opening the inning along with Yashasvi Jaiswal as he has done well in the Indian T20I team as opener in the recent few games.
Samson will also look to go one step further and wants to win the IPL trophy.
(3) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR seems to be the only team who will have to look at multiple options. The uncertainty over KKR’s captaincy in IPL 2025 is still there. They have as many as 7 captaincy options in the team. Those 7 names have captained the side either in international cricket or in franchise cricket.
Captaincy candidate for KKR
They have options like Ajinkya Rahane, R Powell, Moeen Ali, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock, and Venkatesh Iyer. Rahane has led the Indian test team and RR in the IPL earlier. His experience in the captaincy could be vital for the team.
If we talk about other candidates, R Powell, Quinton de Kock, and Moeen Ali have led their respective country’s T20I teams in the past, so they can also be the options. Some media reports have also suggested that V Iyer and Rinku Singh could have been given a role. But as of now, Rahane seems to be a perfect option for KKR captaincy in the IPL 2025.
(4) Mumbai Indians (MI)
Despite having other 3 captaincy options in the team, MI has decided to go with Hardik Pandya as their captain in IPL 2025. They will continue to back Pandya despite a horrible last season.
MI have a recent T20 WC-winning captain Rohit Sharma, and current India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav in the team with Jasprit Bumrah waiting in the wings, but still, they go with Hardik as their leader. It’s a good thing to give someone enough time to prove themselves. Let’s see how Hardik goes about his business.
(5) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
As of now, it looks like RCB will try to convince Virat Kohli to take that role again. They have a few more options as well in the team like Krunal Pandya, Rajat Patidar, and Liam Livingstone.
Pandya has led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the absence of KL Rahul in IPL 2023. Rajat Patidar has also done well for MP in SMAT 2024. Liam Livingstone also became England ODI captain in the Australia series a few months ago.
All of the above names are captaincy candidates but as of now, Virat Kohli looks a perfect candidate for RCB captaincy in IPL 2025.
(6) Delhi Capitals (DC)
DC also has captaincy candidates like Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel, but KL Rahul will most likely make the cut for the role. He has done the job in the past for PBKS and LSG as well.
(7) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Without any doubt, Pat Cummins will lead SRH in IPL 2025. Unless there is an injury concern with the fast bowler, SRH won’t even look at the other options.
(8) Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Shreyas Iyer will most likely lead the side in IPL 2025. PBKS have someone like Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in the squad who have done captaincy in Big Bash League (BBL), but Shreyas being an IPL winning captain last year, it is hard for the Australians to take that role.
(9) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
If there is no aspiration for captaincy, Rishabh Pant might not leave DC. According to media reports during the IPL 2025 auction, there is uncertainty over Rishabh’s captaincy in DC. So here he is, in the LSG, to lead the side.
(10) Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT will likely stick with Shubman Gill as captain. They will give him a long rope as captain, as he can be a future star for them. He has already done well with the bat for GT.
