Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer picked Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill as the best captain of the ongoing IPL 2026. Gill has led his team from the front and has delivered consistently at the top of the order.

The flamboyant batter has scored 616 runs in 13 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 47.38 and a strike rate of 161.67. Gill was not picked in India’s T20 World Cup squad and he has reinvented his game in the recent past. The GT opener was seen batting with a more aggressive approach in the league phase of the tournament.

“I feel Shubman Gill. But again, I will give a lot of credit to Ashish Nehra as well. But even if you are getting advice, you need to take it and buy into whatever your coaches have told you. Eventually, you have to take the calls, and that credit goes to Gill. He has scored runs himself, too. In the first half, it felt like GT may not qualify. It looked tough. And from there, the way they picked up, qualified, and made the top two, credit to him. The captain plays a big role in this format. All four have been good for different reasons,” Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

Jaffer also praised Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag. RR were able to qualify for the playoffs after securing a 30-run win against MI on Sunday. Parag took some brave calls in the match, including backing Jofra Archer against Hardik Pandya and giving Yash Raj Punja his final over despite the leg-spinner conceding 39 runs in the first three overs.

“Riyan has captained well. In such a tough and high-pressure tournament, if you are getting your team into the playoffs, you have to give credit. There is no doubt in that. All four captains should get the credit. You saw the fate of Punjab. Maintaining the momentum is challenging. Parag’s batting has flourished late, but he has captained well. He has taken courageous calls, and despite dealing with injury, he is pushing himself and putting the team first. He should get the credit,” he expressed.

On the other hand, the former Indian batter picked RCB as favorites against GT in the first qualifier.

“I think RCB are slightly favorites in the first Qualifier. They are a well-rounded team. GT’s bowling is strong compared to RCB’s. But batting is too dependent on the top three. We have seen this throughout the tournament. Shubhman, Sai, and Buttler will be under a lot of pressure. RCB’s batting depth is good. Yes, they are also dependent on Kohli, but they have a lot of options,” he said.

Furthermore, Jaffer said SRH has a more balanced team than RR for the Eliminator contest.

“In the Eliminator, SRH looks well-rounded. Their bowling is getting better. They have the batting as well. I think SRH have a bit of an edge. If you take Archer away, then there are people in RR’s attack whom you can attack. They played Burger after a long time, so I do not understand the tactics. They have completely sidelined Bishnoi. RR can play anyone. In must-win games, they have also made changes, so you don’t know what to expect. SRH will not make many changes, and they look well-equipped.”

RCB will take on GT on Tuesday at Dharamshala in the first qualifier, whereas SRH will face RR in the Eliminator on Wednesday at New Chandigarh.