The next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) There will be a grand auction for IPL 2025 and many franchises will be on the hunt for new captains. Several IPL franchises are eagerly waiting for the retention process to be finalised for the next season to choose a new captain.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Gujarat Titans (GT), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) would likely avoid any leadership changes, retaining Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Subhman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Pat Cummins as their captains respectively.
RCB, LSG and DC eye captaincy for Mumbai Indians (MI) stars ahead of IPL 2025
However, the remaining teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC), are reportedly looking for new captains for the upcoming IPL 2025. A Hindustan Times report claimed that RCB, LSG and DC are closely monitoring the captaincy retention list. Mumbai Indians (MI) for the upcoming season of the cash-rich T20 league.
Their attention will be on whether the Mumbai Indians (MI) retain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar YadavRecently, Rohit led India to victory in the T20 World Cup and Suryakumar replaced him as the new Indian captain in the T20Is. However, MI was expected to retain Hardik Pandya as captain.
However, recent developments may force the five-time IPL champions to reconsider their plans, especially after Suryakumar beat Hardik Pandya to get the captaincy of India in T20I cricket ahead of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Team India’s ODI and Test captain Rohit played a major role in appointing Suryakumar as the new T20I captain for India, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Rohit backed Gambhir’s appointment as India’s head coach and the decision to name Suryakumar as T20I captain till the 2026 T20 World Cup. Reports suggest that Hardik received a vote of “no confidence” from his fellow Indian players as they preferred Suryakumar for the T20I captaincy.
This surprising move raised the question of whether MI will retain Hardik for another year as his appointment split the camp into two teams last year. MI’s decision regarding Hardik will be crucial as RCB and LSG look for a new leadership for the upcoming IPL 2025.
Suryakumar Yadav could be in the running for captaincy in IPL 2025
Also, MI must consider retaining Suryakumar for the upcoming season, especially since he was on Rohit’s side when the team split into two camps last season after Hardik was named captain.
Suryakumar is now the Indian captain and could aspire to lead the IPL’s most popular franchise or explore other options if the franchise does not retain him. Jasprit Bumrah, who also enjoys a leadership role, will surely be the first to retain the MI.
Well, the IPL Governing Council is yet to announce the number of retentions that will be allowed to each franchise. However, if teams are allowed to retain four players, including one overseas player, MI will face tough decisions, which will open up opportunities for teams like RCB, LSG and DC.
RCB may also consider their former batsman, KL Rahul, who could be released by LSG after team owner Sanjeev Goenka had a heated argument with the Indian wicket-keeper in IPL 2024. The upcoming mega auction will bring significant changes to the leadership scenes of the teams.
