IPL 2025 is knocking on the door and fans are all here for it. Will Royal Challengers Bangalore finally lift their maiden title? Will this be Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final outing? Will Hardik Pandya prove his mettle as Mumbai Indians’s captain? There’s plenty at stake and we have barely scratched the surface. Starting this March 22, the cash-rich league spans over the next two months with as many as 74 contests lined up, and the final scheduled for May 25. That’s 2 months of non-stop cricket but nobody is complaining. In fact, the several announcements of captains of respective franchises leading up to the 18th edition have caused enough social media noise- a testament to the craze around the Indian Premier League. So, who all are the new captains of IPL teams? Have old ones been retained as the leaders? Let’s find out. What are the teams? Not that one needs a refresher but with the current world of cricket absolutely stacked with T20s, Tests, ODIs day after day, let’s get IPL teams out of our way first. Kolkata Knight Riders – three titles: 2012, 2014, 2024 Chennai Super Kings – five titles: 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023 Mumbai Indians – five titles: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 Lucknow Super Giants – founded in 2021, no title wins Gujarat Titans – founded in 2021, 2022 winners Punjab Kings – no title wins Rajasthan Royals – winners of opening edition of IPL, 2008 Sunrisers Hyderabad – one title: 2016 Royal Challengers Bengaluru – no title wins Delhi Capitals – no title wins Also Read: Ravi Shastri’s Holi Wish Is A Hilarious Reminder Why He’s A Cool Customer Of Indian Cricket New and old captains Hardik Pandya The 31-year-old all-rounder Hardik Pandya, a constant in the Mumbai Indians side, has captained the IPL giant Mumbai Indians once in 2024. The franchise finished last on the table under his leadership. Rohit Sharma previously led the side to 5 wins. Pandya, released by Mumbai Indians, found himself at the helm of affairs, taking Gujarat Titans to their maiden title in the first year in 2022. Pandya took Gujarat Titans to second consecutive IPL finals only to lose to Chennai Super Kings in 2023. Rajat Patidar Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a new captain in their camp – Rajat Patidar. Patidar, who was bought mid-season to replace the injured Luvnith Sisodia, scored a blistering century 112* off 54 in the Eliminator contest against Lucknow Super Giants. He went unsold in 2022 IPL Player Auction. Apart from IPL, Patidar leads Madhya Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Virat Kohli has captained RCB from 2011 to 2023 with no trophies in his bag. Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen, Rahul Dravid, Daniel Vettori, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson have also taken the leadership role in the past but to no titles since the inception of the league. Shreyas Iyer Bought for a staggering Rs 26.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega-auction, Iyer was named as the captain of Punjab Kings. At the age of 23, Iyer became the youngest captain ever to lead a side in IPL, replacing then Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) captain Gautam Gambhir. Iyer also took Delhi Capitals to their maiden finals in 2020 where they eventually lost to Mumbai Indians. Also Read: Insta Maids: Why Urban Company’s 15-Min Maid Service Has Caused Massive Outrage On The Internet Sanju Samson Captaining Rajasthan Royals since 2021, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson made his IPL debut under the same camp in 2013. Under him, RR finished third in the 2024 edition. The Royals had lifted the trophy in the inaugural edition in 2008 under the legendary and late Shane Warne. The RR have been captained by the likes of Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith, and Ajinkya Rahane. Having spent six years in the Delhi Capitals camp, Patel has been given the honours to lead the side in IPL 2025. Patel will be looking forward to taking giant strides in his new leadership role as he has only donned the vice-captain hat for India in T20I earlier this year. The 31-year old cricketer has also led Gujarat in the domestic circuit. Pat Cummins One of the most expensive foreign players of the IPL, Pat Cummins was a constant face and name in the Kolkata Knight Riders team before he was eventually bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024 auction. Named the captain in the same year, Cummins took SRH all the way to the finals but unfortunately lost to his previous team, Kolkata Knight Riders. SRH have seen as many as nine captains before Cummins took the throne. Kumar Sangakkara, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Aiden Markram – to name a few. Rishabh Pant 27-year-old Rishabh Pant who has previously led Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021, 2022, and 2024 was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a towering Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. And now, he is the captain of LSG. KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya, and Nicholas Pooran have taken on the role of leaders for the franchise that was founded in 2021. Outside of IPL, Pant has captained the runners-up India U-19 team in 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Pant has also captained India in a T20I series against South Africa in 2022. Later that year, Pant survived a near-fatal car crash, and eventually went on to making full recovery and returned to the sport in April of 2024. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill took on the captain duties of Gujarat Titans in 2024. Gill came in to fill Hardik Pandya’s spot, the same captain who took the franchise to two consecutive IPL finals, while winning one title in their debut season. While Gill has had a forgettable previous season where GT sat at the eight position, the young cricketer will definitely have some push from India’s glorious Champions Trophy 2025 win where he scored 188 runs in five matches at an average of 47. It is also worth noting that Gill’s contribution with the bat in the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup helped India secure their fourth title win. Gill was the vice-captain of the then Under-19 team. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE | ‘Shubman Gill Listens, Learns, and Leads’: Gujarat Titans’ COO Arvinder Singh on GT Captain Ajinkya Rahane Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a new captain: Ajinkya Rahane. But Rahane isn’t new to captaincy. Under his leadership, India have only lost one contest. He was also the leader of the team that lifted the 2020-21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia’s backyard. Back to IPL, Rahane played an integral part with the bat as his efforts in the 2023 edition of IPL elevated Chennai Super Kings to another title, as Rahane rejoiced his first IPL trophy win. Ruturaj Gaikwad Captain of perhaps the most important team in the IPL, Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the reins in 2024, filling in the massive shoes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni who took CSK to five titles. The franchise has seen only two other captains – Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. Last year, under Gaikwad, Chennai finished fifth with seven wins in 14 games. Under him, India achieved gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. Gaikwad also captains Maharashtra cricket team in T20.