The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is the 18th edition of the franchise tournament, and began on 22 March with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens. (Schedule | Teams | Points Table)
The franchises have made big changes to their squads and backroom staff ahead of the season, and preparations are underway in full swing to make their season a success. One of the key aspects of team preparation is choosing the skipper, and a lot of thought is spent on that particular decision.
In the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, teams chose to spend wisely and extravagantly on players with leadership qualities, who were later handed the reigns of captaincy by their teams. Below is the list of the salaries earned by all the 10 captains in IPL this season, ranked from lowest to highest.
Ajinkya Rahane (KKR, INR 1.5 crore)
Knight Riders’ new captain Ajinkya Rahane is the lowest-paid skipper in IPL 2025 by some margin. The 36-year-old batter was chosen as KKR라이브 바카라 captain in a surprising snub to record signing Venkatesh Iyer, who cost INR 23.75 crore in the auction.
However, Rahane has previous captaincy experience with Rising Pune Supergiants and Rajasthan Royals (RR), and KKR will hope that he can be able to fill the big shoes left by the title-winning Shreyas Iyer.
Rajat Patidar (RCB, INR 11 crore)
Ever since Virat Kohli left the captain라이브 바카라 role, RCB was looking for the right replacement, and they seemed to have put their faith in Patidar. They had signed the 31-year-old for just INR 20 lakh in 2022, but opted to retain him for INR 11 core and make him the skipper. While he scored nearly 400 runs last season, only time will tell if his leadership skills can bring the elusive IPL title to Bengaluru.
Hardik Pandya (MI, INR 16.36 crore)
Hardik Pandya had the worst possible start to his role as Mumbai Indians’ (MI) captain, finishing bottom of the table and getting booed by his own franchise's fans. However, he is one of the best in the game in terms of playing and leading on field, and already has one IPL title in his cabinet.
Both MI and the player have retained their trust in each other, and with proper preparations, the INR 16.35 crore spent on him could turn out to be a bargain this season.
Axar Patel (DC, INR 16.5 crore)
After letting Rishabh Pant go, Delhi Capitals (DC) looked towards the mega auction to select their new skipper, and bought a number of players with leadership qualities. However, most people expected the role to go to KL Rahul, whose signing for INR 14 crore was hyped up as a smart signing.
However, the Capitals opted for INR 16.5 crore acquisition Axar Patel over Rahul or Faf Du Plessis, probably as a nod to his consistency in the 20-over format, scoring 200+ runs and taking 11 wickets last season.
Shubman Gill (GT, 16.5 crore)
Despite getting more than a 100% hike on his IPL 2024 salary, few would call Gujarat Titans’ retention of Shubman Gill for INR 16.5 crore as anything but an excellent piece of business. The Titans are ever-reliant on Gill, both as a captain and an opening batter. The Prince of Indian cricket has already won GT their first IPL title three years ago, and despite a poor showing last year in terms of league position and runs scored, Gujarat fans will back him to find his golden touch in IPL 2025.
Sanju Samson (RR, INR 18 crore)
Sanju Samson라이브 바카라 time at Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) helm epitomises the team라이브 바카라 performances – sublime at times, but ultimately unable to take the last step. The batter, who has led his side since 2021, has achieved two play-off finishes in the last three years but RR have never looked like favourites to lift the trophy. With a stronger squad at his disposal, time will tell if Samson can turn his luck around and justify his INR 18 crore fee.
Pat Cummins (SRH, INR 18 crore)
The one and only overseas captain in IPL this season, Australian pacer Pat Cummins has led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) since last year, leading his team to the finals. As such, he has already shown himself as capable of being an excellent captain, but his loyalty towards Hyderabad is also evident with his decision to take a pay cut to INR 18 crore to allow his team to retain Heinrich Klaasen.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK, INR 18 crore)
Ruturaj Gaikwad라이브 바카라 story with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the many cases where the team have given high-potential players the platform to perform and carve a place for themselves. And the 28-year-old has indeed made the best of his chances, scoring 500+ runs in three IPL seasons and winning the Orange Cap.
His first season in replacing one of the greatest modern-day captains MS Dhoni hasn’t been successful as he could just manage a mid-table finish, but the Super Kings management will trust him to fulfil the potential that Dhoni himself has attributed.
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS, INR 26.75 crore)
If Shreyas Iyer felt hard done by KKR despite winning the trophy in IPL 2024, he can have no complains after Punjab Kings (PBKS) made him the second-most expensive signing ever, spending INR 26.75 crore on his services. His pedigree as an IPL captain is well-known, but the thing to see will be whether he can turn the PBKS team full of new faces into a cohesive unit, capable of challenging for the title.
Rishabh Pant (LSG, INR 27 crore)
Nothing demonstrates the utter trust that a team라이브 바카라 management has in a player라이브 바카라 capabilities to lead than making him the most expensive player in IPL라이브 바카라 history. After a play-off finish in 2021 with Delhi Capitals (DC), Pant has failed to break the mid-table barrier, but his win percentage of 56% remains the best for any of DC라이브 바카라 regular captains.
As such, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has decided to spend big to bring him to their squad and bring the team around him. The onus will be on Pant to add a silverware to his name to justify the massive price tag on his head.
