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Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif gave his honest opinion on the performance of the captains in IPL 2026. Kaif also shared who he thinks which captains are going to move on and who will retain their jobs next year.
Kaif said that 4 out of the 10 full-time captains of IPL 2026 were in danger of losing their jobs. Mohammad Kaif also said that captains should resign themselves instead of waiting for dismissal. Kaif’s idea has come at a time when speculations are rife about the future of some players.
Mohammad Kaif supported Ajinkya Rahane
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif was asked to analyze all the captains in IPL 2026. Despite all the reports, Kaif supported Ajinkya Rahane and said that the Kolkata Knight Riders captain deserved another chance. Under Rahane, KKR finished 8th in 2025 and 7th in 2026.
Mohammad Kaif praised Rahane for doing a commendable job as captain despite injuries to many bowlers throughout the tournament.
Kaif said, “KKR has done well. Rahane might have struggled with the bat, but the way KKR came back after losing the first five matches, they did not have Pathirana, Cameron Green was not bowling first and Harshit Rana was not available. In his absence, Rahane did a good job as captain.”
Mohammad Kaif urges Rishabh Pant to step down from captaincy
When asked which captains would actually be in the selection list, Mohammad Kaif named four. Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals), Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians), Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings).
All four captains are facing criticism from all sides for their poor performance not only with the bat but also as leaders. None of the above four captains could take their teams to the playoffs this year, and last year too, MI was the only team among the four to make the top four.
Gaikwad became the captain of CSK in 2024 and led the team out of the group stage thrice in three years. Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel have also suffered group-stage exits twice in two years as captain of LSG and DC respectively.
Pant was also DC captain for a while and led the team to two group stage exits in three seasons, a similar ratio to Hardik Pandya at MI. After this, Kaif urged Rishabh Pant to focus on his batting instead of captaincy, as this will help him make a comeback in the Indian team.
Kaif said, “Pant should not be the captain. Without captaincy, he has a good record with the bat. He has lagged behind in the Indian cricket team. He should focus on batting and keeping. Justin Langer and Tom Moody were there. I did not like LSG putting Pant under the bus. Keeping is a courageous job.”
Mohammad Kaif said, “Pant should focus on batting and keeping; he can make a comeback in the national team in white-ball cricket.”
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“Rajat Patidar is the next MS Dhoni” – Kaif
Mohammad Kaif then drew a comparison between current RCB captain Rajat Patidar and legendary Indian and IPL captain MS Dhoni. Patidar led RCB to its first IPL title last year and has taken it to the final this year. Dhoni won five IPL trophies as captain and also won three ICC trophies as captain of India.
“Patidar’s captaincy, I really liked this year. Rajat Patidar exemplified that he was not a brand when he was picked. I like that RCB picked him based on his domestic leadership abilities. Yes, he is tremendous batting at No. 4, hitting sixes from the very first ball. But the good thing is that he can be yours.” [Team India’s] Leaders in the future,” Kaif said.
“He doesn’t panic under pressure. MS Dhoni is captain cool and Patidar is also on the same path. He is scoring runs even against teams that bowl well. As a captain, he is setting the standards and his bat is doing the talking,” Kaif said.