The IPL 2026 captains’ photoshoot has confirmed a historic first, all 10 franchises will start the season with Indian skippers.
While there have been seasons where nearly all captains were Indian, there has always been at least one overseas leader (like Shane Warne, Pat Cummins, Faf du Plessis or David Warner) at the helm of a team. The shift this year became official when Ishan Kishan was named as the captain for Sunrisers Hyderabad (stepping in for the injured Pat Cummins), completing the all-Indian lineup and has been corroborated by the photoshoot.
IPL 2026 kicks off with RCB taking on SRH in the tournament opener in Bengaluru on Saturday (March 28).
IPL 2026 captains’ photoshoot viral picture

IPL Franchises and captains ahead of 2026 season-
| Team | Captain |
| Chennai Super Kings | Ruturaj Gaikwad |
| Mumbai Indians | Hardik Pandya |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajat Patidar |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Ajinkya Rahane |
| Gujarat Titans | Shubman Gill |
| Rajasthan Royals | Riyan Parag |
| Delhi Capitals | Axar Patel |
| Lucknow Super Giants | Rishabh Pant |
| Punjab Kings | Shreyas Iyer |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Ishan Kishan |
