Virat Kohli Out; Vaibhav Sooryavanshi To Open: IPL 2026 Team Of The Tournament

IPL 2026 team of the tournament [Source: AFP]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is over, and after 74 gruelling matches, RCB won the IPL championship by defeating GT in a riveting fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The greatest T20 tournament saw quality international and domestic players go toe-to-toe, and the world witnessed numerous match-winning performances.

IPL 2026 saw many players who dominated the proceedings and were the undisputed best for their respective franchises. While some big names failed to deliver the goods, others rose above the Ashes and produced a tournament to remember.

With the IPL 2026 done and dusted, we take a look at the team of the tournament, with some match-winners missing from the list.

IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament

Openers and top order batters: Shubman Gill, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan

There was a discussion around having Virat Kohli as the first-choice opener, but Shubman Gill just beat his idol after scoring a match-winning century in the knockout game (Qualifier 2) against the Rajasthan Royals. Despite a shaky start in the IPL, he led the Gujarat Titans from the front and scored 732 runs, with a strike rate 163.03.

Selecting his opening partner was the easiest choice with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batter, making the cut. It won’t be an understatement to say that Sooryavanshi has been the best batter in the IPL 2026, and he single-handedly dragged them to Qualifier 2.

He finished the tournament with 776 runs, with an astonishing strike rate of 237.31, including a solitary hundred. 

At number 3 would be the SRH star, Ishan Kishan, who arguably was their best player alongside Heinrich Klaasen. After a terrific T20 World Cup 2026, Kishan came into the tournament with a red-hot form, and he continued the domination with a stellar performance.

He slammed 602 runs in 15 matches, with a strike rate of 182, and was often the player who bailed SRH out of tricky situations.

Also Read: Shubman Gill Overshadows Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Madness; Makes New IPL Record

Middle order batters and all-rounders: Rajat Patidar(c), Heinrich Klaasen, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder

The RCB captain, and perhaps their best player in the IPL 2026, Rajat Patidar led the RCB side to a historic title last year, and he and his team continued the domination in IPL 2026 as well. He might not have had a 600 or 700 run season, but his batting impact was far bigger than that.

He scored 501 runs in 15 matches, with a strike rate of 192.69. Moreover, he also hammered 42 sixes to become one of the most destructive players in the tournament.

The second SRH player to make the list is Heinrich Klaasen. If consistency were the name, then Klaasen was the pioneer of it. He was the crisis man for the Orange Army, and whenever the side was in trouble, he stood tall with 624 runs in 15 matches, with a strike rate of 160.

RCB's underrated gem in the IPL 2026, Krunal Pandya has won multiple games for the team in the season, and there have been instances when RCB were down and out, but he became the match-winner.

Also Read: IPL 2026 Prize Money: How Much Will RCB, GT, Orange Cap, Purple Cap, MVP Get?

He has 226 crucial runs, and apart from it, the all-rounder has scalped 14 wickets and helped the team reach the finals.

It is remarkable to say that Jason Holder played only in the second half of the tournament, and yet, he was included in the IPL team of the tournament. In just 10 IPL 2026 matches, the GT all-rounder scalped 17 wickets, with an average of 16, and an economy of 7.54.

Bowlers: Sunil Narine, Jofra Archer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada

KKR might have had a disastrous IPL 2026 season, but Sunil Narine was still their MVP. He didn’t have any impact with the bat, as he was asked to play down the order, but it was with the ball that he delivered the goods.

In 13 matches, he scalped 15 wickets, but more than that, the all-rounder had an economy of just 6.65. To have such control over lines and lengths in the batting-dominance era is remarkable.

If Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was RR’s star with the bat, Jofra Archer was their most important cog with the ball. He not only took wickets, but took them when the Rajasthan Royals was struggling, and he became their messiah with the ball.

25 wickets in just 16 IPL 2026 matches, with an economy of 9.32 defined his journey as he took the side to the Qualifier 2.

They called Bhuvneshwar Kumar ”old”, but the RCB pacer defied all odds to become one of the best bowlers of IPL 2026. He took wickets in the power play, took them in the middle-overs and slog overs, and has been unbelievable.

So far, Bhuvneshwar has taken 28 wickets in 15 matches, with an economy rate of just 7.95, and it showcases his brilliance as a T20 bowler. 

The leading wicket-taker of the IPL 2026, Kagaiso Rabada, was poor in the T20 World Cup, but he roared back strongly to become the best in the business in the IPL.

The GT pacer bagged 29 wickets, with an average of 21, and an economy rate of 9.68.

All players who made it to IPL Team of the Tournament

Shubman Gill
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Ishan Kishan
Rajat Patidar(c)
Heinrich Klaasen
Krunal Pandya
Jason Holder
Sunil Narine
Jofra Archer
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Kagiso Rabada

Also Read: RCB Issue Official Statement On Victory Parade After IPL 2026 Final Win