No Virat Kohli; Shubman Gill To Lead: IPL 2026 Team of The League Phase

IPL 2026: Team of the league phase [Source: AFP]

The IPL 2026 league phase ended on Sunday, when we got our fourth and final playoff team, with Rajasthan Royals securing the spot with a win over the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium.

This means now we are officially in the business end of the competition, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans to contest in Qualifier 1, followed by the Eliminator between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.

All four teams have won the competition once each, with RCB ending the wait in 2025, while RR are the oldest champions, waiting for their first title since 2008. Throughout the season, we saw some emphatic performances from players across all 10 teams, with new faces making a mark for themselves and some experienced campaigners staying bankable players.

As we head to the IPL 2026 playoffs, we explore the best team of the league phase below.

IPL 2026: Team of The League Phase

Top-order: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk)

The first-choice opener, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has been inarguably the most impressive opener of the season with 583 runs in 14 innings as RR reached the playoffs. In the process, he hit a whopping 50 fours and 53 sixes and briefly also held the orange cap.

Alongside Sooryavanshi, we have the calm and experience of Shubman Gill, who is in the running for yet another Orange Cap, with 616 runs at a strike rate of 161.67 in 13 innings. Additionally, his inspired leadership has taken GT to a top-2 finish, earning him the captaincy of this side.

At 3 will be one of the hottest commodities in Indian T20 cricket right now in Ishan Kishan. Having won the T20 World Cup 2026, he carried his form and scored 569 runs with 6 fifties, striking at 178.36 at number 3 for SRH, who finished 3rd, level on points with the top-2.

Also Read: RCB's Record In IPL Qualifier 1 Ahead Of Mega Clash Vs Gujarat Titans

Middle-order and all-rounders: Shreyas Iyer, Heinrich Klaasen, Tim David, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya

Backing up his IPL 2025 exploits, Shreyas Iyer once again had a great campaign with the bat. Despite hitting a bump on the road, he managed 498 runs at a strike rate of 168.81 with five fifties and a hundred to finish the season on a high note. He will be accompanied by Heinrich Klaasen, who is the first non-top-3 bats in IPL history to cross 600 runs, striking at 169.47.

The number 6 and 7 will be the overseas duo of Tim David and Jason Holder, who are bona fide six-hitters. In 13 innings, David struck at a whopping 197.85 to get 277 runs as RCB finished top of the table. While Holder did not get to bat much, he was mighty impressive with 13 wickets in 8 innings at an economy of just 7.34 rpo, after starting the season from the bench.

Krunal Pandya will be the reliable spin-bowling option, who can bat as a floater in this team. With his unorthodox bouncers, speed and length variations, he picked 11 wickets in 13 innings at 8.97 rpo, while also contributing with the bat, scoring 182 runs in 7 innings at 145.60, including a match-winning fifty against MI.

Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav

The pace battery will consist of the express pace of Jofra Archer, the new-ball swing bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and hit-the-deck and smart variations of Prince Yadav.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has 24 wickets as the Purple Cap holder in 14 games. He has only conceded 8.07 runs per over, and alongside the new-ball bowling, he is also a smart operator at the death with accurate yorkers.

Archer is picked over Kagiso Rabada due to his ability to bowl effectively at the death. Rabada has done his best work in the powerplay, where Archer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can both do the damage. Archer has 21 wickets at an economy of 8.76, which is also better than Rabada's 9.18 for 24 wickets. Additionally, Archer was also RR's lone warrior in the pace department.

Prince Yadav has been one of the finds of the season, who has 16 wickets in 14 innings, despite his team finishing at the rock-bottom. He can bowl the tough overs and hit the hard length effectively. He also earned his maiden India call-up due to these impressive performances in IPL 2026.

Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal makes it to this team over Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine, considering the team combinations. He is the highest wicket-taking Indian spinner with 12 wickets in 12 innings at 9.39 runs per over, despite a lot of catches going down on his bowling throughout the campaign.

IPL 2026: Team of The League Phase

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Heinrich Klaasen, Tim David, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Jofra Archer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav. IP: Yuzvendra Chahal.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav's Cost Per Run For MI In IPL 2026