Even before the 2026 season ended, Royal Challengers Bengaluru looked the part in yet another incredibly successful campaign, Gujarat Titans continued their incredible play-off consistency, and the lackluster performance of IPL heavyweights Mumbai Indians and laggards Lucknow Super Giants set the stage for the next season.
The competitive nature of T20 cricket, where playoff spots are determined on the last day of the league stage, reflects the fact that anyone can defeat anyone.
Before the final day of the league stage, RCB, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad had already qualified, but on May 24, a revitalized Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians to join them as the fourth team in the playoffs. On the final day of the competition, the Royals eliminated an inconsistent Punjab Kings.
Here’s a look at how the top ten clubs in the world’s most prestigious T20 league fared during the season, based on their standings in the points table:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: After their historic victory last season, the team, who had not won an IPL championship for 18 years, appears to have developed a winning habit. The think tank led by Andy Flower and Mo Bobat have put together a champion squad that is delivering handsomely on the field. RCB would wish there is no mega auction in the foreseeable future with majority of the players in the squad taking their game to the next level season after season.
This season, they were focused on actively pursuing another trophy rather than defending their crown. On that point, they certainly lived up to expectations. Even at this point in his career, superstar Virat Kohli continues to innovate in order to compete with “the super young.” According to none other than Sachin Tendulkar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned back the clock with an incredible display of “wobbly seam.”
He got good support from Josh Hazlewood in the second half of the tournament, Krunal Pandya surprised with his variations on way to a fifth IPL title while pacer Rasikh Dar too came of age this season. Devdutt Padikkal made clear changes to his conventional game to meet the demands of modern T20 while captain Rajat Patidar forced national selectors to take notice with his match winning performances.
Late in the competition, Venkatesh Iyer was added as the impact player, and he also performed well. RCB seemed like the most complete side of the competition and they surely played like one.
Gujarat Titans: If RCB have made winning a habit, Titans have emerged as one of the most consistent teams in its brief IPL history. In five tries, they have advanced to three finals, including a title on their debut.
Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, and Shubman Gill continued to add runs at the top of the order. The middle order doesn’t instill the same confidence in the event of their infrequent failure, which is one area the Titans hope to strengthen at the upcoming auction.
Despite having some of the greatest bowling in the competition, they were unable to overcome the last obstacle. Experts believe they need a backup plan in case their excellent top order and the new ball bowlers don’t perform well. In the tournament, it rarely occurred, but when it did, the Titans were unable to recover.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: After a poor start, the Pat Cummins-led team did not do much wrong this season; nevertheless, in the Eliminator, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer’s individual brilliance ultimately outperformed them. The rise of pacers like Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge was one of their main advantages. Nitish Reddy made timely contributions with both bat and ball following a dismal previous season.
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan, members of the potent top order, were among the runs once more, despite the fact that the Australian did not have the season he likely desired given his high standards. With 624 runs at a strike rate of 160, Heinrich Klaasen, the star batsman at number four, had the best season of his lengthy IPL career. SRH performed well on flat tracks but poorly outside of Hyderabad.
Rajasthan Royals: The Royals should have qualified sooner than the last day of the league stage, according to skipper Riyan Parag. Their campaign was heavily dependent on 15-year-old wonder kid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who ended up being the leading run getter in his first full season with 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.30. With 25 wickets, Archer was one of the tournament’s top wicket-takers, consistently demonstrating breakthroughs in his early burst.
The team faltered when Sooryavanshi and Archer failed to fire. Dhruv Jurel had a phenomenal season as a batter, Yash Raj Punja was their lead spinner ahead of Ravi Bishnoi while they missed the services of Sam Curran due to an injury. In his first season as captain, Parag did well to qualify for the playoffs, although he struggled with consistency at bat. Their campaign was also dominated by off-field incidents, with Parag being caught vaping in the dressing room on national television and team manager Romi Bhinder being fined Rs one lakh for using a cellphone in the dugout.
Punjab Kings: The IPL’s most dominant team in the first half lost six straight games in the second half, somehow ruining their prospects of making the playoffs. Before their performance declined in all three areas, including fielding, their strong batting compensated for a poor bowling attack in the first half. The team will need to improve its bowling at the auction, but captain Shreyas Iyer had a respectable season at bat. Arshdeep Singh’s erratic performance had a negative effect on the team as well.
Delhi Capitals: Under Axar Patel, the Delhi Capitals did not qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. KL Rahul scored more than 500 runs in another season, but in the end, those runs were essentially worthless. With too many one-dimensional players in the lineup, the team lacked the batting firepower to advance farther in the competition.
Mitchell Starc’s absence during the competition’s opening half exacerbated the bowling’s lack of necessary force. Their star spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, had a forgettable season, and even their best player, Lungi Ngidi, was unable to do well enough on his own. DC is one of the teams that is anticipated to have new leaders in the future.
Kolkata Knight Riders: After losing their opening six games, KKR performed well to finish seventh out of ten teams. Ajinkya Rahane may have played in his final IPL season. The team needs a makeover because they have problems in every department. After being purchased at auction for a record 25.20 crore, Cameron Green did not enjoy a memorable season either.
Chennai Super Kings: Since winning the championship in 2023, the five-time champions have not advanced to the playoffs. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s legendary franchise requires a shift in strategy. In order for them to move past the glory days under the former India captain, there must first be clarity regarding M S Dhoni. Due to an injury, he did not play a single game this season, but nobody knows what the upcoming season holds except for Dhoni.
Since being named captain in 2024, Gaikwad’s batting career has not flourished. The batting is inexperienced with the likes of Urvil Patel yet to prove themselves. Given that Hardik Pandya is expected to quit the Mumbai Indians, CSK may be interested in hiring him for a leadership position. Alternatively, Sanju Samson is a ready captaincy choice if they decide to go in that direction.
Mumbai Indians: The team that disappointed the most this season was the Mumbai Indians, who are full of Indian stars. It was a memorable season for Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Verma. Injury affected Rohit Sharma’s season, although he performed okay at the top.
There were rumors of discord within the leadership group throughout the season, and Hardik was left to battle alone. Who the owner and club management decide to be captain for the upcoming season is still up in the air. One of the team’s most successful players, Bumrah, might take charge.
Lucknow Super Giants: After skipper Rishabh Pant resigned after two dismal seasons, a makeover for the upcoming campaign is already underway. In the first half, the bowlers led by Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav made an impression as the batting failed miserably. Only Mohsin bowled an incredible maiden over against Sooryavanshi.
The batting could never fire in synchrony, and the bowling levels declined in the second half. Nicholas Pooran was, to put it mildly, underwhelming, and Pant had yet another mediocre season. Justin Langer and Tom Moody along with Sanjiv Goenka will go on a captain shopping during mini-auction at the end of this year.
