RCB and MI, the standouts in our rankings and assessment of each team’s best players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The IPL 2026 mini-auction is coming to a grand close and we have the ten teams ahead of us for the premier league, the Indian Premier League. Naturally, the next logical question that comes to mind is: which team has the best squad on paper for IPL 2026? It’s a very interesting topic, and there are many ways to approach the analysis. You can play the strongest player 11 or 12, or look at the match winners, or the team as a whole.
In general, a playing 11 or playing 12 ranking differs from an overall team ranking because the team ranking takes into account the cumulative ranking of the top players and their backups. So the focus is not just on the best playing 11, but also on the backups if something goes wrong, if one of their first choice players is ruled out or unavailable. So the goal is to see how all ten teams are prepared in terms of their Plan B.
When evaluating the rankings, we will look at the cumulative rating of 10 of the top 8 first-choice players for each team, and their respective backups. Each team generally consists of 8 quality players, ideally this should be 3 batters, 1 wicketkeeper and 4 bowlers. The rest includes their good backups. So, in this analysis, we will look at the cumulative rating of the top 16 players, and based on that, find out the ranking of each team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
IPL 2026 Ranking of Each Team Basic Final Squad Players
#10: Capitals of Delhi (DC) – 8.45am
Top 8 players for Delhi Capitals and their backups for IPL 2026
- KL Rahul(wk)
- Tristan Stubbs
- David Miller
- Nitish Rana
- Axar Patel
- Mitchell Starc
- T Natarajan
- Kuldeep Yadav
Important backups
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Ben Duckett
- Pathum Nissanka
- Abhishek Porel (wk)
- Vipraj Nigam
- Lungi I say
- Mukesh Kumar
- Blood Dar
For number 10, we have the Delhi Capitals team. Of course someone will have to be 10, 9, etc., but that doesn’t mean he or she is bad. The competition is so fierce that even with a solid rating of 8.46, the Delhi Capitals are in tenth place. That said, Delhi Capitals do have some gaps, especially in backups, which keeps their rating low. With solid top 8 hitters, having someone like Auqib Dar, Vipraj Nigam, unproven Pathum Nissanka and Ben Duckett is what lowers their rating a bit.
#9: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – 8.63
Top 8 players for KKR and their backups for IPL 2026
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Cameron Green
- Tim Seifert (wk)
- Rinku Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Sunil Narine
- Varun Chakraborty
Important backups
- Finn Allen (wk)
- Ramandep Singh
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Rovman Powell
- Anukul Roy
- Vaibhav Arora
- Umran Malik
- Akash Deep
Number 9 belongs to the KKR team and they have a rating of 8.63 for their team. Again, KKR has a solid squad relying on players like Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, etc., but it is not perfect with small holes visible. Among the players who are still inexperienced or unproven are the links of Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Umran Malik, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, etc. Having so many of these players lowers their rating a bit, and that is why they are at the number 9 position.
#8: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – 8.71
Top 8 players for LSG and their backups for IPL 2026
- Aiden Markram
- Nicholas Pooran
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Mitchell Marsh
- Digvesh Rathi
- Avesh Khan
- Mayank Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
Important backups
- Josh Inglis (wk)
- Matthew Breetzke
- Ayush Badoni
- Abdul Samad
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Mohsin Khan
- Anrich Nortje
- Akash Singh
At number 8 we have the LSG team and they have a rating of 8.71. The LSG team has a very solid overseas batting department, with the reliance on the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, etc. However, it is their India-centric bowling that lowers their overall rating a bit. Mohammed Shami is their best pacer, who seems outdated, and the supporting players like Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan and Digvesh Rathi are not the most attacking options in T20 cricket. Therefore, LSG are ranked slightly lower than the competition, and it is their bowling that brings their rating down.
#7: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – 8.72
Top 8 players for SRH and their backups for IPL 2026
- Travis Head
- Henry Class (wk)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Pat Cummins
- Ehsan Malinga
- Harshal Patel
- Zeeshan Ansari
Important backups
- Liam Livingstone
- Kamindu Mendis
- Aniket Verma
- Nitish Reddy
- Brydon Carse
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Hard Dubey
- Shivam Mavi
Number 7 belongs to the SRH team and they have a rating of 8.72, which is slightly better than the LSG team. SRH has some of the most combative batters in the T20 World such as Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, etc., who are increasing their rating. However, it is their bowling that lowers their rating. Apart from Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel, who are good bowlers, the SRH team is dependent on players like Ehsan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harsh Dubey and others. So, compared to the competition, there is a visible difference in quality in the bowling department.
#6: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – 8.73
Top 8 players for CSK and their backups for IPL 2026
- Dewald Brevis
- Travel Giikwad
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Shivam Dubey
- Matt Henry
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Nathan Ellis
- Noor Ahmed
Important backups
- Ayush Mhatre
- Matthew Short
- Kartik Sharma
- MS Dhoni (wk)
- Anshul Kamboj
- Prashant Veer
- Akeal Hosein
- Zak Foulkes
Number 6 belongs to the CSK team and has a rating of 8.73. Now CSK have a balanced attack that is competent in the batting and bowling departments. But there is inexperience in the team that lowers their rating. Sure, there is quality in their uncapped players, but the likes of Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Anshul Kamboj, etc. are yet to make a name for themselves in the Indian Premier League. So overall CSK has a good team but is somewhat inexperienced.
#5: Punjab Kings (PBKS) – 8.83
Top 8 players for PBKS and their backups for IPL 2026
- Shreyas Iyer
- Prabsimran Singh (wk)
- Shashank Singh
- Marcus Stoinis
- Marco Jansen
- Arshdeep Singh
- Lockie Ferguson
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Important backups
- Nehal Wadhera
- Priyansh Arya
- Michael Owen
- Vishnu Vinod (wk)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Vyshak Vijaykumar
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Harpreet Brar
Number 5 belongs to the Punjab Kings team and they have a rating of 8.83. The PBKS team, which is filled with uncapped players, was excellent last year. The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Priyansh Arya, Prabsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh, Marcue Stoinis, Marco Jansen, etc. did very well last year. However, the fact remains: even though PBKS played above potential and have an all-round team, there is visible inexperience, which can sometimes backfire when things go against expected results.
#4: Rajasthan Royals (RR) – 8.84
Top 8 players for RR and their backups for IPL 2026
- Riyan Parag
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Sam Curran
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Jofra Sagittarius
- Ravi Bishnoi
Important backups
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Donovan Ferreira (wk)
- Shubham Dubey
- Lhuan of Pretorius
- Adam Milne
- Tushar Deshpande
- Sandeep Sharma
- Nandre Burger
At number 4 we have the Rajasthan Royals team, and this could be a surprise entry with a dating of 8.84. The RR team may not have the strongest playing 11 compared to the competition, but when it comes to a strong squad of 16 players, including backups, gaps are hardly visible. From Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, etc., to having someone like Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan de Pretirous, Shubham Dubey, etc., as quality backups, the RR team does not feel incomplete overall. The backups are solid quality, and even if the first-choice players don’t perform well, they have the backups to cover them.
#3: Gujarat Titans (GT) – 8.87
Top 8 players for Gujarat Titans and their backups for IPL 2026
- Sai Sudharsan
- Shubman Gill
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Glenn Phillips
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- R Sai Kishore
- Rashid Khan
Important backups
- Shahrukh Khan
- Tom Banton (wk)
- Jason Holder
- Rahul Tewatia
- Washington Sundar
- Arshad Khan
- Kagiso Rabada
- Ishant Sharma
For number 3, we have the Gujarat Titans team, and they have a rating of 8.87. The Gujarat Titans have some very strong match winners who keep their team moving on autopilot. Players like Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are solid players to have in a team that will keep them going in 2025. Besides, the other players like Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Tom Banton, Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Tewatia are also no-nonsense players. Overall, GT has a strong team and always uses their players to the fullest.
#2: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – 8.95
Top 8 players for RCB and their backups for IPL 2026
- Tim David
- Virat Kohli
- Rajat Patidar
- Phil Salt (wk)
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Josh Hazlewood
- Suyash Sharma
Important backups
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Romario Herder
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Nuwan Dushara
- Yasj Dayal
- Swapnil Singh
- Jacob Duffy
The No. 2 ranking for IPL 2026 belongs to the RCB team, and this may not please the Ee Sala Cup Namde Gang as they failed to secure the No. 1 position. But even if RCB are the defending champions, they are not the most perfect team there. The team looks competent with their first choice playing 11, but players like Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, etc. are decent to good players, and compared to Mumbai Indians, they somewhat miss a punch.
#1: Mumbai Indians (MI) – 9.28
Top 8 players for MI and their backups for IPL 2026
- Rohit Sharma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Tilak Varma
- Quinton de Kock (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Mitchell Santner
- jasprit bumrah
- Trent Boult
Important backups
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Ryan Rickelton (wk)
- Plant man
- Will Jacks
- Allah Ghazanfar
- Shardul Thakur
- Deepak Chahar
- Mayank Markande
Finally, at numero uno we have the best of them all: the Mumbai Indians, with a rating of 9.28. The MI team is perfect not only because it has a strong first choice playing 11, but also backups, who can easily get into any team’s playing 11 even if they don’t find a place in the MI team. Imagine being a Sherfane Rutherford, Allah Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Ryan Rickelton and still not finding a place in the starting XI. That is the quality that the MI team has, and without a doubt they have the best squad in the league.
So that’s about the best team rankings based on their selection for IPL 2026. Thanks for reading! Which team out of all 10 teams has the best team players in the rankings for IPL 2026? Send your thoughts by email to business@cricalytics.co, or in the comments below.
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