Ambati Rayudu ranks the 10 IPL 2026 captains; Shreyas Iyer not in Top 4

Ambati Rayudu ranked the 10 captains in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where eight teams are still in contention to reach the playoffs, with the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants already eliminated.

LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and MI captain Hardik Pandya took the No. 10 and No. 9 spots, respectively, in Rayudu’s rankings via ESPNcricinfo. The Super Giants have three wins and eight defeats from 11 matches. Meanwhile, Mumbai have four wins and eight defeats under their belt.

Veteran all-rounder Axar Patel ranked eighth amid the Delhi Capitals’ dismal campaign. They started with back-to-back wins but have gone on to lose seven out of their next 10 games. Rayudu went with Ajinkya Rahane at the seventh spot, with the experienced campaigner leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to four wins and six defeats this season.

Riyan Parag, who was appointed captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of this season, finds himself at No. 6 in Rayudu’s rankings. Under his leadership, the Royals have six wins from 11 matches. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who is considered one of the finest white-ball captains in Indian cricket at the moment, had to settle for the fifth position. Punjab Kings won six out of their first seven matches but have gone on a five-match losing streak after that.

Shubman Gill tops the list

Rayudu named Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4. While the right-handed batter has had a subpar season with the willow, he has done well as a captain. In 11 matches, the Men in Yellow have won six matches and lost five.

Legendary Australian captain Pat Cummins sealed the No. 3 spot, having missed the first seven matches this season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Orange Army won three out of the five matches that Cummins has been in charge of. Overall, they have seven wins from 12 matches and are one of the favourites to make it to the playoffs.

Rajat Patidar came in at the second spot in Rayudu’s rankings. After leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden title last year, Patidar has gone from strength to strength. The defending champions are sitting pretty at the top of the table with eight wins from 12 matches.

The top spot went to Shubman Gill, who has led the Gujarat Titans from the front in IPL 2026. The former champions are placed second in the standings with eight wins from 12 matches.