Delhi:A big news has come out before the conclusion of the league stage of IPL 2026. In fact, if media reports are to be believed, three players may have to lose the captaincy as soon as the season ends. These include the names of Akshar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant. These three players have been holding the captaincy for the last two seasons, but they have failed miserably in taking their teams to the playoffs. The LSG team captained by Pant is already out of the tournament. At the same time, the playoff hopes for KKR and DC are almost over.

Akshar Patel dashed expectations

Axar Patel is failing miserably in the current tournament both as captain and player. He has scored only 100 runs in nine innings and his strike rate has also been only 112.50. Talking about bowling, Akshar has bowled only 36 overs in 12 matches, that is, an average of only three overs in every match. During this period he has taken 10 wickets with an economy of 8.08.

Akshar has mostly depended on Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao for decisions throughout the season. In such a situation, if his captaincy survives next year, it will be no less than a miracle. Along with this, the entire coaching staff is also likely to be changed.

Pant’s performance was not as expected

In the case of Rishabh Pant, who is playing for LSG, it is no longer hidden from anyone that the pressure of captaincy is weighing heavily on him. Pant has tried batting at different numbers, but it seems that he is playing with a huge burden on his shoulders. His face clearly shows that he is not able to perform openly because of the hefty price tag, which the entire team has had to pay.

Pant has scored 251 runs in the current season at a strike rate of 138, which is quite low by today’s T20 standards. The pressure on him can be gauged from the fact that he has hit only nine sixes in 11 matches. That old rhythm seems to be missing in his batting and some of the team selection decisions have surprised even the staunchest supporters of Lucknow.

There is no doubt that the poor form of Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram has also caused a lot of damage to the team, but Pant has never seemed like a captain who has the strategic understanding required for this format. Questions have been raised on many of his decisions.

Rahane became a burden for the team

Kolkata Knight Riders were forced to hand over the captaincy to Rahane because the management had no other option. The entire team has had to suffer the consequences of this. When Rahane was asked a question about his strike rate at the beginning of the season, he said that people are jealous of him. But at the age of 37, he now needs to think whether he is really able to keep pace with the changing T20 cricket.

Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant will find teams as players in the future too, but for Rahane, it will be safe to say that hardly any team will show interest in him in the next mini-auction. If KKR keeps him with them for one more season, it may prove to be a wrong decision for them.