Former Team India opener Virender Sehwag made several bold predictions about the franchise captaincy after the conclusion of the IPL 2026 group stage. During the intense discussion, the former batsman reviewed the leadership of all 10 teams and suggested major changes in the captaincy after the end of the IPL 2026 season.
The IPL 2026 group stage ended with several surprise results, forcing franchises to re-evaluate their leadership groups for the next season. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals qualified for the playoffs, while the rest of the teams were eliminated from the tournament.
Hardik Pandya removed as MI captain, but Rishabh Pant retained
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag supported Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant. Despite Lucknow finishing bottom of the points table after a disappointing season, Sehwag suggested that the franchise should retain Pant as captain.
Sehwag said, “It is 50-50 but stay tuned.”
Rishabh Pant faced heavy criticism after Lucknow Supergiants managed only four wins and finished tenth in IPL 2026. Pant scored 312 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.36 and strike rate of 138.05, including one half-century.
Meanwhile, Sehwag supported the removal of Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain after another poor season. He also suggested replacing Ajinkya Rahane as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Watch the video posted by Cricbuzz on X (formerly known as Twitter) below:
Will Pant remain captain? 👀
Remove Hardik? 🔥
What should the teams do after this #IPL2026?@virendersehwag Answer 🎙️ @GoogleIndia pic.twitter.com/azsKGaJ3i5
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 25 may 2026
The former India opener backed the captains who guided their teams to successful campaigns during IPL 2026. Virender Sehwag has fully supported Pat Cummins’ continuation as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain after the franchise finished in the top three and qualified for the playoffs.
Virender Sehwag backs Ruturaj Gaikwad and Axar Patel, wants Rajasthan Royals to replace Riyan Parag
Virender Sehwag backed Ruturaj Gaikwad to remain the captain of Chennai Super Kings despite finishing eighth in IPL 2026. Sehwag believes that CSK should continue to work on young opening batsmen for the future.
Sehwag also backed Axar Patel to remain the captain of Delhi Capitals after the team missed out on reaching the playoffs. Delhi Capitals finished sixth with seven wins from 14 league matches.
However, Sehwag suggested removing Riyan Parag from the captaincy role of Rajasthan Royals despite the franchise qualifying for the playoffs. Rajasthan Royals finished fourth in the points table with 16 points from 14 matches.
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