Cricket analysis: All you need to know ahead of IPL 2026

For many cricket fans, the start of April signals one thing – the return of the English domestic season. But as ever, a white-ball franchise competition is never far away.

So whether you are a fan of the sound of leather on willow met with a gentle ripple of scattered applause, or if the bright lights and all-action nature of the T20 format is more your thing, then the next two months has you covered.

The 19th edition of the TATA Indian Premier League gets underway on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Only the first 20 games of the competition have currently been confirmed, with the remaining schedule to be announced in due course as a result of coinciding Indian state elections, though the final is set for May 31 in Bengaluru.

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What happened in 2025?

The 2025 edition was a memorable one as Royal Challengers Bengaluru conquered their final frontier to land a maiden IPL title, proving 18th time lucky for India’s legendary number 18 Virat Kohli – the only player to represent the same franchise in every edition of the tournament – who had lost three previous finals.

An historically star-studded and passionately supported franchise, RCB sealed their glory by six runs in Ahmedabad against a Punjab Kings side who were also going in search of their first triumph.

Elsewhere in the competition, which was suspended for a period of time due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Kolkata Knight Riders endured a disappointing title defence, Mumbai Indians staged a stunning upturn in form to reach the play-offs and Chennai Super Kings finished bottom of the table for the first time.

England representation

There are 13 England players competing across seven IPL teams, nine of whom are returning to India after their involvement in the recent T20 World Cup squad.

Seven were retained ahead of December’s auction, including Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell (both RCB), Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans) and Will Jacks (Mumbai Indians).

Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals), Jamie Overton (Chennai Super Kings) and Brydon Carse (Sunrisers Hyderabad) were also locked in, though all-rounder Sam Curran has since been ruled out of a first stint at the Royals with a groin injury.

Liam Livingstone was a significant auction purchase, joining the big-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad, whilst batter Tom Banton and left-arm quick Luke Wood were snapped up by Gujarat Titans.

Jordan Cox (RCB) and David Payne (Sunrisers Hyderabad) are both set for their first IPL gig, the latter, who was rewarded for his winter franchise form as a late injury replacement.

Meanwhile, Ben Duckett has withdrawn from his maiden IPL experience with Delhi Capitals to prioritise domestic form ahead of the international summer in a similar fashion to England white-ball captain Harry Brook, who was not included in the auction after pulling out of the competition for a second year running in 2025, whilst Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Smith were among those who went unsold.

From an England perspective, all eyes will be on the form of Buttler, who struggled throughout England’s run to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, whilst Bethell and Jacks will be looking to add to their impressive performances over the winter.

Mission 300

A total of 300 was once seen as a significant total during a 50-over innings, but the evolution of cricket, spearheaded by the IPL, has now made this once-unthinkable feat an achievable target.

England became just the third international side to score 300 in a T20I, and first in a match between two full-member nations, when they blitzed a remarkable 304-2 against South Africa at Old Trafford last year.

A combination of flat pitches and small boundaries has made certain IPL grounds a batting paradise for power hitters over recent years, with strike rates and number of sixes hit on a continued upward trajectory – the fact that RCB’s match-winning score of 190 in the final was the lowest first innings total in nine IPL 2025 matches at Ahmedabad and considered under-par provided an indicator to this shift.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are the prime candidates, having racked up the four leading scores in the competition’s history between 277-287 over the last two editions, whilst nine of the ten highest totals have also been recorded since 2024.

This new supersonic era of batting was not as evident as anticipated during the early stages of the recent T20 World Cup, but was on full display at the business end as India smashed 508 runs across their victories in the semi-final and final – a sign of things to come in the IPL perhaps.

Teenage sensation

Rajasthan Royals opening batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi catapulted himself into the spotlight last year at the age of just 14, smashing his first ball in the competition for six and later registering the second-fastest century in IPL history off 35 balls against Gujarat Titans, which included 11 sixes.

The swashbuckling left-hander went on to make 252 runs in seven innings and also made the headlines during the Under-19 World Cup final in February this year, where he dismantled a young England attack in a breathtaking 175 off 80 balls to lead his nation to glory.

Only turning 15 on the eve of the tournament, Vaibhav’s performances will certainly be worth tuning in for once again as he continues his fearless approach on the big stage.

Price tag pressure on Green

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history when he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at the auction in the region of £2.1 million.

The successful bid exceeded the amount that the same franchise forked out for Green’s international teammate Mitchell Starc in 2024.

Green has an impressive record in the IPL to date, averaging 41.58 with a strike rate in excess of 150 across two spells with Mumbai Indians and RCB, but missed the 2025 tournament following back surgery.

He faced a difficult winter, averaging just 24 with the bat and taking only 4 wickets in the Ashes series, before failing to make a noteworthy contribution as Australia were dumped out of the T20 World Cup in the group stages.

The 26-year-old joins a power-packed KKR batting unit at Eden Gardens that includes destructive Kiwi opening pair Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who are likely to battle between themselves for two overseas spots in the XI.

A hefty price brings an expectation to deliver, which can go two ways. Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant set the auction record in 2025 but struggled for Lucknow Super Giants with the exception of an unbeaten century in the final match of the league stage, whereas Shreyas Iyer rewarded Punjab Kings for their significant investment by amassing 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 to lead them to a first final appearance since 2014.

Fellow headline Aussies Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are both continuing their recovery from injuries that disrupted their Ashes involvement and are only expected to be available midway through the tournament, whilst Nathan Ellis has been ruled out entirely with an aggravated hamstring injury and Mitchell Starc’s workload will remain closely monitored.

Samson impact

There are a number of personnel changes this year for seasoned IPL viewers to adjust to, with Sanju Samson’s move to Chennai Super Kings one of the more high-profile trades.

Samson was Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, a measure of his impact at the top of the order for India, given he did not feature in four of their first five matches.

The opener set the tone with three consecutive scores of 97*, 89 and 89 in high-pressure knockout situations to propel India to the title, striking at a fraction under 200 across his five innings in the tournament.

Samson has spent 11 of his 13 IPL seasons at the Rajasthan Royals but will now embark on a new chapter with CSK, with the MS Dhoni-led franchise hoping his arrival will have a similar impact as the national side by providing much-needed firepower at the top of the order, which should help them improve significantly on their four wins and subsequent last-placed finish in 2025.

Who will win?

As ever, ahead of an IPL, the competition is wide open with all ten teams possessing domestic and international match-winners throughout.

Mumbai Indians are the current betting favourites to move ahead of CSK as the most successful franchise on six titles, though have not reached a final since 2020.

RCB are also well-fancied in their trophy defence as they look to become the third team to win consecutive IPL trophies and may be drawing on inspiration from India’s back-to-back T20 titles.

Punjab Kings will be hoping to build on their impressive 2025 campaign and go one better to end their drought, whilst Delhi Capitals are the only other longstanding active franchise yet to taste success.

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