All posts tagged: Captaincy

Aiden Markram Plays Down LSG Captaincy Talk Ahead of IPL 2027

Aiden Markram Plays Down LSG Captaincy Talk Ahead of IPL 2027

Published by Webster

The South African batter Aiden Markram has downplayed speculation surrounding the vacant leadership position at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2027 season. He stated that LSG has more captaincy candidates in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The leadership spot has been vacant after Rishabh Pant stepped down in May after the franchise finished at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table. Pant has been traded to Delhi Capitals (DC) in exchange for left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. While Aiden Markram have experience in leadership roles in the RPSG group’s teams in the SA20 and The Hundred and viewed as a frontrunner for the IPL leadership role. However, he confirmed that the decision rests entirely with management. “I’ve got no idea. They can decide whatever they think is best. There’s some quality leaders in that group that we have there, so I’m not too fussed about it. Whoever gets it I’m sure will take it on and do a good job, but the thoughts haven’t been there just yet,” said Aiden Markram. Apart …

Lord’s brings Gill a chance to stamp his authority on ODI side

Lord’s brings Gill a chance to stamp his authority on ODI side

Published by Webster

5 min readJul 18, 2026 07:56 PM IST Ahead of Sunday’s ODI series decider against England at Lord’s, there are two stories unfolding at the same time. One is the mundane issue of the fate of the three-match rubber. India’s last away bilateral ODI series win came in South Africa in late 2023. Since then, they have lost in Sri Lanka (2024) and Australia (2025). The other matter is transition. If this does turn out to be Rohit Sharma’s farewell game, as has been widely reported, the match could also mark the end of one of India’s greatest white-ball careers and the beginning of India’s next ODI chapter. That makes the occasion significant for Shubman Gill. The 26-year-old took over from Rohit as India’s ODI captain last October, inheriting a side that had already developed a clear identity. Under Rohit, India reached the 2023 World Cup final before winning the Champions Trophy in 2025. Instead of a rebuild, he’s had the more delicate task of taking over the team while looking to put his own …

Mithali Raj explains why she favours younger star for T20 captaincy

Mithali Raj explains why she favours younger star for T20 captaincy

Published by Webster

4 min readJul 17, 2026 05:28 PM IST Former India captain Mithali Raj has had to defend her recent comments on who should lead the Indian women’s team after Harmanpreet Kaur’s tenure ends. Mithali had suggested that Smriti Mandhana is more suited to captain India in the longer formats, while the younger Shafali Verma could be handed the reins of the T20 side. Her verdict drew a response from a cricket follower on social media, who questioned why Smriti couldn’t lead India in both ODIs and T20Is. The follower argued on X: “Shafali has a long way to go. More than picking wickets or putting runs on the board, she still needs to prove herself in a leadership role. She doesn’t even captain or officially vice-captain a WPL team either.” Mithali responded by clarifying that her assessment was not a reflection on Smriti’s leadership ability but was based on looking at the future. “This isn’t about Smriti’s ability to lead, and I have no doubt about that, which is why I’ve mentioned that she’s well …

India hand England the match on a platter; fielding and Shreyas Iyer captaincy both sub-standard

India hand England the match on a platter; fielding and Shreyas Iyer captaincy both sub-standard

Published by Parlour News

The 56-run Indian defeat in the fifth and final T20 on Saturday night should not come as a surprise to anyone. Going into the match, they were already a demotivated bunch having lost the last three games as well as the five-game rubber after a washout in the first game at Chester-le-Street. India’s miserable UK tour comes to an end! They lost six out of seven games. (BCCI) However, what was surprising was that they didn’t put up much of a fight. Much before they came out to chase England’s 257/3 (the highest by any team against India in T20Is), they had lost the game. The biggest indicator of what kind of space a team is in is not exactly how it bats or bowls. It’s more often than not how it fields. The Indians were awfully poor in the field at the Ageas Bowl after deciding to have a bowl at the toss. England captain Harry Brook was helped twice, first by Shivam Dube and then by Ishan Kishan. The centurion of the match, …

India coach reacts to England T20I series loss

India coach reacts to England T20I series loss

Published by Webster

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believed the T20 World Cup holders had reached the stage where talking about adaptability is no longer enough after another disappointing overseas T20I series. India slumped to their second successive bilateral series defeat after losing the fourth T20I to England on Thursday, extending a poor run that began with a series loss in Ireland. Reflecting on the team’s struggles, ten Doeschate said India now needed to better understand what adapting to overseas conditions actually requires. “We’ve spoken so much about adaptability, but I think it’s got to the point now where you actually have to unpack that suitcase,” he said. ALSO READ | India’s batting misfires again as England take series in quick time “It’s easy to say we need to adapt. Every coach from under-nine cricket upwards talks about adaptability. But I think it’s got to the point where we actually have to unpack what that means and understand the process that’s needed.” He admitted India had failed to translate those conversations into performances. “I think Jofra (Archer) …

Shreyas on getting India captaincy gig

Shreyas on getting India captaincy gig

Published by Webster

3 min readJun 7, 2026 05:16 PM IST India’s new T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, who replaced Suryakumar Yadav, reacted to the news, saying that it was a great challenge to lead the team but he won’t have to change his personality and be under someone else’s shadow. Iyer, who last played a T20I match for India in 2023, was brought in as the new India captain on Saturday in Mumbai. “I obviously loved challenges growing up, especially being from Mumbai where cricket is pretty big, the competition is high, every other kid on the street, they want to represent Mumbai asnd I faced a lot of challenges growing up. So my mindset was always about winning against everyone that I challenge. Whether it’s about learning or winning, that’s secondary but the more fun you have growing up, the more competitive nature you have, especially while playing cricket or any other sport in general, I think that takes you to another level and you want to take that sort of responsibility even when I have got …

IPL shake-up on the cards? Hardik Pandya for Dube, Mhatre trade idea suggested as CSK nudged for captaincy change

IPL shake-up on the cards? Hardik Pandya for Dube, Mhatre trade idea suggested as CSK nudged for captaincy change

Published by Parlour News

The uncertainty surrounding Hardik Pandya’s future at Mumbai Indians has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Calls for his release have gathered momentum following a disappointing IPL campaign in which the five-time champions finished ninth on the table. It was a season where MI struggled to find rhythm from the outset, with senior players unable to step up in high-pressure moments and the team repeatedly faltering when it mattered most. Hardik Pandya’s captaincy came under the scanner this season. (PTI) Hardik’s leadership also came under scrutiny as Mumbai failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under his captaincy. The move to hand him the reins after a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans, replacing long-time skipper Rohit Sharma, was always going to be a bold call. However, the results have yet to justify the decision, with questions now being raised about both the direction of the side and Hardik’s long-term role in the leadership setup at the franchise. Subramaniam Badrinath has stirred conversation with a bold trade suggestion involving Hardik and …

Hardik Pandya set to lose Mumbai Indians captaincy

Hardik Pandya set to lose Mumbai Indians captaincy

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: May 28, 2026 11:16 PM IST Hardik Pandya‘s reign as Mumbai Indians captain is coming to an end. After a season in which they lost 10 of 14 games, finished ninth, and extended their title drought to six years, MI is set to overhaul its squad — starting with the captaincy. The Indian Express, speaking to at least three persons in the MI fold, has learnt that Hardik is likely to lose the captaincy. A discussion on his place in the side is also on the cards. “There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp,” said a source. The immediate backdrop is a team talk by the coaching staff following MI’s final game of the season against Rajasthan Royals. “The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed …

Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 review: Hardik Pandya took the heat, but MI’s disaster ran far deeper than captaincy alone

Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 review: Hardik Pandya took the heat, but MI’s disaster ran far deeper than captaincy alone

Published by Parlour News

“It has been a season of what-ifs and overall disappointing for all of us.” From left, Mumbai Indians’ Raj Bawa, captain Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah after Chennai Super Kings won the IPL 2026 match, in Chennai (PTI) That one line from Kieron Pollard on Sunday perhaps summed up Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 campaign better than the points table could. A season that began with hopes of building on last year’s playoff finish slowly spiralled into confusion, inconsistency and collective underperformance. While captain Hardik Pandya inevitably became the face of the criticism, Mumbai’s collapse ran far deeper than leadership alone. For one of the rarest times in franchise history, almost nothing aligned — not Rohit Sharma’s form, not Suryakumar Yadav’s explosiveness, not Tilak Varma’s consistency, and not even Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance could rescue them from a season that never truly took flight. On paper, Mumbai looked one of the strongest squads in the competition. The experts could not agree more. Most, if not all, had the five-time champions in their predicted playoffs line-up. And why …

Rahane opens up on if he contemplated leaving KKR captaincy after early losses

Rahane opens up on if he contemplated leaving KKR captaincy after early losses

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 25, 2026 07:30 AM IST Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign that started on a dismal note where they lost 5 of their first 6 matches, got a flicker of hope after their stellar run of consecutive victories but the early defeats proved to be the difference as the missed out of the play-offs for the second year running. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane was asked when the pressure was building on the team and on himself after the string of defeats, if he had considered stepping down as captain or taking himself off the playing XIs in select matches. The 37-year-old replied that he has never backed away from any challenges or problems and preferred to stay in the present so those thoughts of leaving captaincy did not cross his mind. “We as cricketers are where we are because of the fans. They will appreciate when we do well and also criticize us when we do badly. This is a part of the game. Every cricketer understands this. Talking about myself, I have always played …