5 IPL captains who left one team to lead another
Over the years, several prominent captains have made high-profile switches, leaving behind successful stints with one franchise to begin a new chapter elsewhere.
Hardik Pandya
The most high-profile IPL switch happened in 2024 when Gujarat Titans' championship-winning captain Hardik Pandya was traded to the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 edition. What made this even more surprising was that he replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians’ captain. Hardik remains one of the most successful IPL captains ever, but his stint with MI has been far from successful.
In the three seasons under the star all-rounder's leadership, the five-time champions managed to reach the playoffs only once while finishing at the last position in 2024. They further had a ninth-spot finish in the most recent 2026 season, following which, talks of the Choryasi-born player being traded to other franchises have caught fire once again, with Rajasthan Royals and CSK being the frontrunners to bag him.
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