Faf du Plessis predicts new captains for 3 IPL franchises ahead of 2027 auction; includes Hardik Pandya

Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis has suggested new captains for three of the 10 franchises in IPL 2027: Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians (via the ESPN Cricinfo YouTube channel). His picks are Aiden Markram or Mitchell Marsh at LSG, Rinku Singh or a traded Hardik Pandya at KKR, and Rohit Sharma or Jasprit Bumrah at MI.

Lucknow finished bottom of the 2026 table under Rishabh Pant, and the job reopened when Pant returned to Delhi Capitals in the trade that sent Kuldeep Yadav the other way. Markram and Marsh are the names most often attached to the vacancy, and both are already in the squad, which is the appeal in du Plessis' thinking.

Marsh has led Australia's T20 side, and Markram has captained South Africa in the format and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.

Kolkata have no incumbent to weigh up. Ajinkya Rahane retired from all cricket in July after two seasons in charge, which brought eighth place in 2025 and seventh in 2026, and no successor has been named. Rinku's claim is built on domestic captaincy: the UPT20 title with Meerut Mavericks in 2024, a runners-up finish a year later, and Uttar Pradesh's List A leadership from the 2024‑25 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Mumbai won four of 14 in 2026 and finished ninth, the second time in three seasons under Pandya that they missed the playoffs. Du Plessis would either hand the job back to Rohit, who led the franchise to five titles between 2013 and 2020, or give it to Bumrah, who has led India in a Test but has little franchise captaincy behind him.

Who are the seven captains Faf du Plessis believes should be back in IPL 2027?

Faf du Plessis urged the other seven franchises to retain their captains from last year: Rajat Patidar at RCB, Shubman Gill at Gujarat Titans, Riyan Parag at Rajasthan Royals, Shreyas Iyer at Punjab Kings, Pat Cummins at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Axar Patel at Delhi Capitals and Ruturaj Gaikwad at Chennai Super Kings.

Patidar's case is the easiest to defend, with two titles in two seasons in charge.

Meanwhile, the trade window opened in late June and closes shortly before the mini-auction, reportedly set for December 16, with retention lists due on November 17.

The Rishabh Pant-Kuldeep Yadav swap was the first confirmed trade of the cycle and the most noteworthy thus far, with a Hardik Pandya trade potentially looming before the retention deadline.

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