IPL 2026 Ranking the Best Squad Players List for Each Team
RCB and MI, the standouts in our ranking and rating of the best squad players of each team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The IPL 2026 Mini Auction concludes in grand fashion, and we have the 10 teams in front of us for the grand league, the Indian Premier League. Naturally, the next logical question that comes to us is which team has the best squad on paper for IPL 2026? It’s a very interesting topic, and one that can have many ways to approach the analysis. One can take the strongest playing 11 or playing 12 route, or look at the match-winners, or the squad as a whole.
In general, a playing 11 or playing 12 ranking differs from an overall squad ranking because, in the squad ranking, we are considering the cumulative ranking of the top players, and their backups. So, the focus is not only on the best playing 11, but also on the backups if things go wrong, if any of their first-choice players are ruled out, or not available. Hence, the objective is to see how all 10 teams are prepared in terms of their Plan B.
While evaluating the ranking, we shall look at the cumulative rating out of 10 of the top 8 first-choice players for each team, and their respective backups. Each team, in general, consists of 8 quality players, which ideally should be 3 batters, 1 wicket-keeper, and 4 bowlers. The rest include their good backups. So, in this analysis, we shall look at the cumulative rating of the top 16 players, and basis find out the ranking of each team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
IPL 2026 Ranking Each Team Basis Final Squad Players
#10: Delhi Capitals (DC) – 8.45
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
Key Backups
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Ben Duckett
- Pathum Nissanka
- Abhishek Porel (wk)
- Vipraj Nigam
- Lungi Ngid
- Mukesh Kumar
- Auqib Dar
For number 10, we have the Delhi Capitals team. Of course, someone will have to be 10, 9, and so on, but that doesn’t mean they are bad. It’s just that the competition is such that even with a solid rating of 8.46, the Delhi Capitals are in 10th position. Having said that, the Delhi Capitals do have some gaps, especially in the backups, which is keeping their rating down. With solid top 8 batters, having someone like Auqib Dar, Vipraj Nigam, unproven Pathum Nissanka, and Ben Duckett is what reduces 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 Chakravarthy
Key Backups
- Finn Allen (wk)
- Ramandeep 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 squad. Again, KKR have a solid squad, depending on players like Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, etc., but it isn’t perfect with minor gaps visible. Among the players that are still inexperienced or unproven are the links of Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Umran Malik, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, etc. Having so many of those players reduces their rating a bit, and that’s why they are in 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
Key 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 really solid Overseas batting department, with the dependency on the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, etc. However, it is their Indian-centric bowling that brings their overall rating down a bit. Mohammed Shami is their best pacer, who seems outdated, and the supporting ones like Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, aren’t the most attacking options in T20 cricket. Hence, LSG are marginally lower in ranking 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
- Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Pat Cummins
- Ehsan Malinga
- Harshal Patel
- Zeeshan Ansari
Key Backups
- Liam Livingstone
- Kamindu Mendis
- Aniket Verma
- Nitish Reddy
- Brydon Carse
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Harsh Dubey
- Shivam Mavi
Number 7 belongs to the SRH team, and they have a rating of 8.72, which is marginally better than the LSG team. SRH have some of the most belligerent batters in the T20 World, like Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, etc, that elevate their rating. However, it is their bowling that kind of reduces their rating. Aside from Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel, who are decent bowlers, the SRH team is dependent on the likes of Ehsan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harsh Dubey, and others. So, as compared to the competition, there is a visible quality gap in the bowling department.
#6: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – 8.73
Top 8 Players for CSK and their Backups for IPL 2026
- Dewald Brevis
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Shivam Dube
- Matt Henry
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Nathan Ellis
- Noor Ahmad
Key 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 they have a rating of 8.73. Now, CSK have a well-balanced attack that is competent in the batting and bowling departments. But there’s inexperience in the team that reduces 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 have a good team, but are slightly 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
Key Backups
- Nehal Wadhera
- Priyansh Arya
- Michell 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 really well last year. However, the fact still remains, even though PBKS played beyond potential, and have an all-round squad, there is visible inexperience, which can sometimes backfire if things start moving against your expected outcomes.
#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 Archer
- Ravi Bishnoi
Key Backups
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Donovan Ferreira (wk)
- Shubham Dubey
- Lhuan de 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 as compared to the competition, but when it comes to a strong squad of 16 players, including backups, there is hardly any gaps visible. Right 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 doesn’t feel incomplete overall. The backups have solid quality, and even if their first-choice players don’t do well, they have the backups covering 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
Key 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 really strong match-winners that keep their squad moving on autopilot. The likes of 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 keeps them running in 2025. Aside from these, the other players like Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Tom Banton, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Tewatia, are also no-nonsense players. So, overall, GT have a strong squad, and always utilises 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
Key Backups
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Romario Shepherd
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Nuwan Thushara
- Yash Dayal
- Swapnil Singh
- Jacob Duffy
Number 2 ranking for IPL 2026 belongs to the RCB team, and this may not please the Ee Sala Cup Namde Gang, for not handling it number 1 position. But even as RCB are the defending champions, they aren’t the most perfect side there. The team does look competent with their first-choice playing 11, but the likes of Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, etc., are decent to good players, and when compared with the Mumbai Indians, they lack a punch somewhat.
#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
Key Backups
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Ryan Rickelton (wk)
- Naman Dhir
- Will Jacks
- Allah Ghazanfar
- Shardul Thakur
- Deepak Chahar
- Mayank Markande
Finally, at numero uno, we have the best of the lot, the Mumbai Indians, with a rating of 9.28. The MI team is perfect, not only from having a strong first-choice playing 11, but also backups, who can easily get into the playing 11 of any team, even as they don’t find a place in the MI team. Imagine you are a Sherfane Rutherford, Allah Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Ryan Rickelton, and still don’t find a place in the starting 11. That’s the quality the MI team has, and undoubtedly, they have the best squad in the competition.
So, that’s about the best team ranking based on their squad for IPL 2026. Thanks for reading! Among all 10 teams, which team has the best squad players ranking for IPL 2026? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.co, or in the comments section below.
