India, April 7 -- Captaincy stories in the IPL are usually written too quickly. Two wins and a captain is suddenly painted as a tactical genius. Three losses and the noise starts sounding like a verdict. But as per our impact methodology for IPL 2026 through Match 12, the picture is more layered than the points table alone suggests. A captain's season is not shaped only by results. It is also defined by how much he contributes himself with bat and ball, and whether those contributions actually help his side control matches.

That framing matters even more this season because several teams have entered IPL 2026 with very different leadership contexts. Rajat Patidar is no longer a stopgap experiment. RCB appointed him captain ahead of IPL 2...