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Once a champion, but now struggling for consistency and form. Top-performing teams, including Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), once used to rule the tournament with their dominance, and now they are not able to sustain their winning momentum. While CSK are sitting at 7th, MI at 10th, KKR moved to 9th after their recent win over RR.

With the tournament getting more intense as the matches happen, these teams need new strategies and some improvement in their combination. They will be expecting more from their players, but let's dive into their skippers, who have failed to rise up to the occasion in the IPL 2026. 

Hardik Pandya is nowhere near his capabilities; he is still searching for his rhythm in the IPL 2026. Once a beast all-rounder is struggling with his form affects the team's confidence at a higher level. Hardik, so far in IPL 2026, has managed to score just 96 runs in 5 innings and has taken 3 wickets in the same number of innings. He has been averaging just 24 with the bat; a nominal average means he is yet to score something big this season. His consistency affects MI’s balance. While his batting numbers are dull, he has been really unimpressive with his leadership in this edition as well. The five-time champions are sitting at the bottom of the points table, and they will now need to win every game remaining to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Also Read: List of Mumbai Indians Batters to Score a Century in IPL History 

While the Chennai Super Kings have started to perform in the tournament after back-to-back failures. The criticism of Ruturaj Gaikwad for his captaincy in IPL 2026 should be highlighted. The CSK opener has not only failed to deliver with the bat, but also has been off the mark in his planning and decisions. CSK are currently sitting at the 7th of the points table with three wins and three losses in 6 matches, but they will need more from their skipper. The CSK skipper has scored just 82 runs in 6 innings with a poor batting average of 13.67. If Chennai needs to perform better with the bat, their skipper will have to stand up with his batting in the remaining games. 

The Kolkata Knight Rahane finally won their first game of the IPL 2026 by beating the Rajasthan Royals in their previous game. They lost five games in the tournament, while one game was washed out due to rain. The 2024 champions will be struggling like this was something not expected. Despite having some big names in their squad, Ajinkya Rahane has failed to build a balanced playing XI. While the team is yet to deliver, their skipper has been poor with his numbers as well. Rahane has 152 runs in 7 innings with two consecutive ducks in the last two matches. His consistent failures at the top are really affecting the team’s morale; he will need to step up. The last win against RR would have boosted the morale in the squad, but Rahane as a skipper will need to bring some fresh strategies for the team before it’s too late. They are do-or-die situation where they need to win all their remaining games.