Uncapped Indian Players Set To Replace Big Names In IPL 2026

IPL 2026 captains photoshoot - (Source: IPL)

Cricket’s biggest carnival is here with IPL 2026 beginning on March 28. The tournament will last two months, with the final scheduled on May 31. Fans are excited to see their idols - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and others in action. 

The upcoming season will be the last for many but also the first for several budding cricketers. It is that time of the year when uncapped talents have the best chance to make a name for themselves and take their career to the next level.

All ten teams are sweating hard in the nets with youngsters showcasing their talents in intra-squad games. So far, several uncapped stars have hogged the headlines, and this article will shed light on five Indian uncapped stars who took the training sessions by storm and have a great chance to make a place in the playing XI for their respective teams.

IPL 2026: Uncapped Indian players who have caused a storm in IPL 2026 practice matches

1. Salil Arora

In the IPL 2026 auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad roped in batter Salil Arora for 1.50 crores. The Men in Orange have a solid top-order line-up, but the 23-year-old is having a great pre-season. Recently, SRH played two intra-squad games where he hogged the headlines for his power-hitting.

Salil smashed five sixes in five balls to make a name for himself on the internet. The right-handed batter also hit Jaydev Unadkat for a couple of sixes, showcasing his prowess with the bat.

In one match, Salil scored a quickfire 47, and in the next match, he completed his fifty in just 19 balls. Eventually, he scored 56 (25). 

2. Sahil Parekh

For Delhi Capitals, they have KL Rahul back to open the innings. On the other hand, they dealt a blow as Ben Duckett pulled out of IPL 2026 to focus on his England career. The Axar Patel-led side have a problem of plenty at the opening slot as they have Pathum Nissanka, Abishek Porel and Prithvi Shaw to choose from to pair up with KL.

However, in the intra-squad games, another name has popped up who can give tough competition to the rest of the openers. Notably, southpaw Sahil Parekh has been doing brilliantly in the training sessions.

Also Read: IPL 2026 Commentary Panel Announced; Bangladesh, Pakistan Boycotted

The 18-year-old was smashing bowlers all across the park in their training session, prompting DC Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao to praise him highly.

"Sahil Parakh, youngster from Maharashtra, opening batter, definitely he's for the future, not just for Delhi (Capitals) but might go on to play for India also if we nurture him." - Venugopal Rao, Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals.

3. Abhinandan Singh

RCB have a big problem in their bowling slot. The defending champions will miss Yash Dayal for IPL 2026 due to his off-field drama. Further, Josh Hazlewood is out with an injury for a while, leaving space for a promising fast bowler. 

The 28-year-old got Virat Kohli out twice in the intra-squad game and suddenly got the internet talking about him. Meanwhile, Andy Flower also spoke highly of him, hinting at possible inclusion in the playing XI at the start.

4. Kartik Tyagi

Kartik Tyagi is not a new name. The right-arm seamer has been in IPL since 2020, but failed to actually leave a mark. However, this time around, he is looking sharp. Similar to RCB, KKR also are struggling with their seam bowling department.

Talking about the intra-squad games, Kartik Tyagi picked up a three-wicket haul on a track where the rest of the bowlers were getting hit for runs.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya Hits Mumbai Indians Player Before IPL 2026