Are These Three Captains in Danger Ahead of Next IPL Season?
The IPL 2026 season has been one of the most thrilling editions of the tournament till now. Some teams have managed to dominate the tournament to a great extent, while the other captains had a hard time. According to reports, three IPL Captains could lose their jobs ahead of the next season.
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International career
Ajinkya Rahane was born on 6 June 1988. He is an Indian cricketer who has played for the national team in all formats. Rahane served as captain of India in all formats and was vice-captain of the Test team. He currently leads Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and captains Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. He also plays for Leicestershire in the County Championship. Rahane bats mainly in the middle order in Test matches and near the top in limited-overs games. Under his captaincy, India lost only one match.
Rahane began his first-class career in the 2007–08 Ranji Trophy season with Mumbai. He made his international debut in a T20 match against England at Manchester in August 2011. His Test debut came during the March 2013 Border–Gavaskar Trophy. Rahane scored his first Test century at the Basin Reserve in Wellington against New Zealand. He led India to win the 2020-21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. By May 2021, he was ranked 27th in the ICC Test batting rankings with 612 points. In March 2022, BCCI gave him a Grade B contract. Rahane is known for strong performances outside India, scoring over 3000 runs abroad at an average above 40.
2011
- August 31: Made T20I debut vs England at Manchester, scored 61 runs.
- September 3: Made ODI debut vs England at Chester-le-Street, scored 40 runs.
- November: Selected in the Test squad for the West Indies series but did not play.
2012
- Spent time in the Test squad without playing, saw seven players debut.
- Struggled with form in limited-overs cricket (ODI and T20I), averaging about 25.
2013
- March 22–24: Made Test debut vs Australia at Delhi; scored low runs in debut match.
- Played first Test in South Africa tour, scored 209 runs in the series with an average of 69.66.
- February 15, 2014: Scored first Test century (118) at Basin Reserve, Wellington vs New Zealand.
2014
- Played England tour Tests; scored a century at Lord’s in the second Test.
- Played the 2014–15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia; scored a century and two fifties.
2015
- Broke the world record for most catches in a Test match (8) vs Sri Lanka.
- Scored fourth Test century vs Sri Lanka in Colombo, helped the team win.
- Made centuries in both innings in the 4th Test of the Freedom Series at New Delhi.
- Reached career-best ICC Test batting ranking of 20th.
2016
- August 16: Achieved career-best Test batting rank of No. 8.
- Highest Test score of 188 vs New Zealand at Indore in October.
2017
- March 25: Became India’s 33rd Test captain vs Australia in Dharamsala; scored 46 and 37.
- Scored a century in Sri Lanka in August.
- Had a poor performance in the return series at home.
- Returned to playing XI against South Africa for the 3rd Test after Rohit Sharma’s failure; scored 48 runs.
- Captained India in a Test against Afghanistan in 2018 in Kohli’s absence.
2018
- Scored two half-centuries in England tour Tests; 81 in the 3rd Test and 51 in the 4th.
- In the Australia tour, he scored 70 in the Adelaide Test and 51 in the Perth Test.
- The last ODI match was played on February 16, 2018, vs South Africa.
2019
- Scored a century in the first Test of a two-match series in the West Indies.
- Scored 50+ and 115 in home series vs South Africa, key innings in victories.
- November 15: Scored 86 vs Bangladesh in the first Test innings, his 21st Test fifty.
2020
- February: Selected for the Test series vs New Zealand but scored low.
- December: Captained India in the final three matches of the Australia tour during Kohli’s paternity leave.
- Scored 112 in the second Test and led the team to win; India won the series 2–1 after a historic Gabba victory.
- Finished series as third-highest run-scorer with 268 runs at 38.28 average.
2021
- November: Captained India in the first Test vs New Zealand; India won 4 out of 6 Tests under his captaincy, 2 were draws.
- Dropped due to a hamstring injury during the second Test vs New Zealand.
- Played the first two Tests of the South Africa tour amid criticism; scored 136 runs with one half-century.
- Sat on the bench for several Tests and missed the home series vs Sri Lanka in 2022 despite decent domestic form.
Additional ODI career highlights:
- Scored two centuries in the Emerging Players Tournament (2010) before international debut.
- Showed promise with fifties against England in 2011 and 2013-14 Asia Cup, but struggled to maintain consistency.
- The best ODI score was 111 vs Sri Lanka in November 2011.
- Captained India in the 2015 Zimbabwe ODI and T20I series; the team won the ODI series 3–0.
Additional T20I career highlights:
- Debuted in 2011, scoring 61 runs against England.
- Played key roles in the 2014 World T20, including the semi-final match where he scored 32 runs.
- Captained India in two T20Is vs Zimbabwe, winning one and losing one.
- No T20I centuries.
Summary of Test Statistics:
- Test debut: March 22, 2013, vs Australia at Delhi.
- Last Test: July 20-24, 2023, vs West Indies at Port of Spain.
- Test centuries: 12
- Highest Test score: 188 vs New Zealand (2016)
- Known for strong overseas performances and record catches in Test cricket.
Summary of ODI statistics:
- ODI debut: September 3, 2011, vs England.
- Last ODI: February 16, 2018, vs South Africa.
- ODI centuries: 3
- Highest ODI score: 111 vs Sri Lanka (2011).
Summary of T20I statistics:
- T20I debut: August 31, 2011, vs England.
- Last T20I: August 28, 2016, vs West Indies.
- No centuries in T20I.
Leagues Participation
Ajinkya Rahane has played in several cricket leagues, including the Indian Premier League. He started with little chance at the Mumbai Indians but became better known after moving to the Rajasthan Royals. Over time, he changed teams but stayed an important player in the league.
Indian Premier League
Rahane began his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians but got few chances to play. In 2012, the Rajasthan Royals bought him, and he did well under Rahul Dravid’s guidance. Rahane scored important centuries and became the top scorer for the Royals that year. When the Royals were banned in 2016 and 2017, he played for Rising Pune Supergiant and was their leading scorer in 2016. Later, he returned to the Rajasthan Royals and even led the team in some matches. After 2019, he moved to the Delhi Capitals but played fewer matches due to poor form. In 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him, and in 2023, he joined Chennai Super Kings, where his batting helped the team win the IPL title. In 2025, he went back to the Kolkata Knight Riders and was named captain.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
|
2011
|
Mumbai Indians
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Few chances to play
|
|
2012–2015
|
Rajasthan Royals
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Scored centuries, top run-scorer for the team
|
|
2016–2017
|
Rising Pune Supergiant
|
Leading run-scorer in 2016, captained one match in 2017
|
|
2018–2019
|
Rajasthan Royals
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Returned to the Royals, captained briefly, mixed results
|
|
2020–2021
|
Delhi Capitals
|
Played less after a poor performance
|
|
2022
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
Bought at auction
|
|
2023
|
Chennai Super Kings
|
An important batsman helped win the IPL title
|
|
2025
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
Bought again and named the captain
|
If Rahane did not play in some seasons, it was due to team bans or his form. For example, the royals were banned in 2016 and 2017, so he played for the Pune Supergiant. In other years, poor form caused fewer matches.
Domestic career
Ajinkya Rahane started his domestic cricket career with Mumbai and showed a strong performance early. He played his first first-class match in September 2007 during the Mohammad Nissar Trophy against Karachi Urban and scored a century on debut. Rahane was important for Mumbai’s success, scoring many runs in the Ranji Trophy, including 265 not out against Hyderabad in the 2009–10 season. He scored over 1,000 runs in three seasons and played a key innings of 152 in the 2011 Irani Trophy, which helped him get selected for India’s Test team.
Rahane also played well in List A cricket. He made his debut in 2007 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and helped build good partnerships. His two centuries in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia helped him join India’s ODI squad. Later, he captained Mumbai in domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. In 2018–19, he led India C to win the Deodhar Trophy and scored an important unbeaten 144 in the final.
In 2019, Rahane played for Hampshire in England for part of the season. He continued to lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, guiding them to win the 2023–24 title by beating Vidarbha in the final. Even though his form was not great in that tournament, his leadership was important. The team’s success was linked to coach Omkag Salvi, who focused on fitness and gave players freedom on and off the field.
Rahane is still a key player in domestic cricket, captaining Mumbai in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season and bringing experience to the team.
Other Leagues
Ajinkya Rahane played for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2013–14 Champions League Twenty20. He scored the highest number of runs in the tournament, with a total of 288. In the semi-final on October 4, 2013, Rahane scored 70 runs from 56 balls against Chennai Super Kings. His batting helped the Rajasthan Royals win the match by 14 runs. The Royals made 159 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs, while Chennai scored 145 for 8.
Rahane’s strong performance was important for the Rajasthan Royals in the tournament, and he finished as the top scorer.
Records and achievements
Ajinkya Rahane has received many awards and set several records in his cricket career. His performances in domestic and international cricket have brought him recognition and milestones.
- MA Chidambaram Trophy for best Under-19 cricketer in 2006–07
- CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year for the 2014–15 season
- Arjuna Award in 2016
- Set a world record by taking 8 catches in a single Test match during the 2015 Sri Lanka tour.
- Scored his highest Test score of 188 runs against New Zealand in Indore in October 2016
- Made his highest ODI score of 111 runs against Sri Lanka at Cuttack in November 2011
- Achieved his highest first-class score of 265 not out against Hyderabad in the 2009–10 Ranji Trophy season
- Scored 1,090 Test runs against Australia in 32 innings
- Was part of the team that won the 2023 World Test Championship final, and crossed 5,000 Test runs, becoming the 13th Indian to reach this mark
- Was the leading scorer and Player of the Series in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 469 runs with a strike rate of 164.56
- Played an important role in Mumbai’s 2023–24 Ranji Trophy win, scoring 73 runs in the final despite struggles with form
Personal life
Ajinkya Rahane was born on June 6, 1988, in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. He grew up in a humble family and started cricket training early with help from his father. Rahane married his childhood friend, Radhika Dhopavkar, and they have two children.
Family
Rahane’s parents are Madhukar Baburao Rahane and Sujata Rahane. He has a younger brother, Shashank, and a sister, Apurva. Since good coaching was hard to find, Rahane began practicing at a small camp at age seven. Later, from age 17, he trained under former India batsman Pravin Amre. Rahane and Radhika were married on September 26, 2014. They have a daughter named Aarya, born in October 2019, and a son, Raghav, born in October 2022.
Finance
Rahane’s fortune in 2025 is estimated at 75 to 85 crore rupees (about 9 to 10 million US dollars). His main income comes from cricket, playing for teams like Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings. He also earns money through sponsorships with brands such as Boost, ELSA Corp, and CEAT. Rahane owns properties, including a Mumbai apartment and luxury homes in Pune and Lonavala.
Cars and House
Rahane lives in a luxury apartment in Mumbai’s Matunga area with his family. He also owns other homes in India. His car collection includes Volvo, Mercedes-Maybach, BMW, and Audi.
Scandals
In 2021, Rahane spoke against the racial slurs aimed at his teammates during a Test match against Australia. In 2023, it became known that Rahane played with a finger injury during the World Test Championship final because he didn’t want to be distracted by a medical check. In 2020–21, Rahane led India to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Fans
Rahane was ranked sixth in The Times of India’s Top 20 Most Desirable Men of Maharashtra in 2018 and seventeenth in 2020. He has more than 5.4 million followers on Instagram.
