IPL 2026: Probable Teams Set For Exciting Season

The 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to begin, marked by a somber yet spirited tone. After a poignant tribute was paid in memory of 11 cricket fans who lost their lives during RCB's title celebrations, this year's opening ceremony will be minimalistic and solemn. On March 28 at 7:30 PM local time, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) takes on Sunrisers Hyderabad, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling competition.

Determined as ever after securing their title last year, RCB will be looking to retain their crown. The rest of the nine teams are all eyes on victory too. Here's a preview of how each squad is shaping up:

Probable Playing Elevens for the IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings:

• Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, MS Dhoni, Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein, Khaleel Ahmed

Punjab Kings:

• Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yuzvendra Chahal

Mumbai Indians:

• Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (Wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Rajasthan Royals:

• Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Vignesh Puthur

Kolkata Knight Riders:

• Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

• Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Dar

Lucknow Super Giants:

• Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Anrich Nortje

Gujarat Titans:

• Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada

Delhi Capitals:

• KL Rahul, Abhishek Porel, Pathum Nissanka, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Aquib Nabi Dar

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

The teams are all geared up, ready to showcase their prowess. Each squad's composition points towards a competitive season with every player eager to deliver for their team, not just in the field but also through strong team spirit and strategy.