IPL 2026 was a season of extremes. A 15-year-old rewrote batting records as if they were practice drills. Virat Kohli Discovered new gears in 37 and Rajat Patidar Joined an exclusive club of captains with back-to-back titles. Batsmen have routinely looked short of 200-plus, yet a handful of bowlers continue to find ways to dominate the increasingly unforgiving format. Here’s TOI’s team of the tournament that captures the defining stories and performances.Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)Inn: 16 | Runs: 776 | SR: 237.30 | Average: 48.50 | 1×100/5×50 There was hardly any discussion. The 15-year-old prodigy didn’t just top the batting charts. He swept the field. By the end of the season, he had scored 44 more runs than anyone else, with a strike rate of 237.30, and had scored 29 more runs than his nearest challenger. The numbers alone were outrageous. His innings behind him was even better. Whether judged by volume, impact or sheer audacity, IPL-2026 was theirs.Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Inn: 16 | Runs: 675 | SR: 165.84 | Average: 56.25 | 1×100/5×50At one end of the spectrum stood a young man redefining possibility. On the other side stood the legend, proving that the age of reinvention knows no bounds. The numbers were vintage – over 600 runs for the fourth consecutive season. However, the approach was anything but vintage. Due to his crunch knocks in Qualifier 1 and the final, he easily edged out Shubman Gill for the starting slot.Ishan Kishan (wk)Sunrisers Hyderabad)Inn: 15 | Runs: 602 | SR: 182.42 | Average: 40.13 | 6×50 | Saturday/Sunday: 9/1Best IPL season for a keeper bats. He was defined not just by the weight of the runs he scored, but also by how he chose to score them. Six fifties decorated his season, but more importantly, they came when SRH needed them the most. He was among the most influential batsmen of the tournament.Rajat Patidar (C) (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Inn: 15 | Runs: 501 | SR: 192.69 | Average: 41.75 | 5×50After leading RCB to their second consecutive IPL title, he found himself in elite company with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only captains to successfully defend the trophy. With the bat, he was explosive. Only Vibhu Suryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma hit more sixes than him, and the explosive pair are the only players to have crossed the 500-run mark to score at a faster rate.Henrik Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad)Inn: 15 | Runs: 624 | SR: 160.00 | Average: 48.00 | 6×50Achieved something unprecedented in IPL-2026: 600-plus runs from the middle order, a feat never before achieved by a batsman in a major T20 tournament while batting outside the top three. He crossed the 30-run mark in 11 of his 15 innings, often shouldering the burden of holding the SRH middle order together.Nitish Kumar Reddy (Sunrisers Hyderabad)Mat: 14 | Runs: 302 | SR: 171.59 | Average: 30.20 | Wkts: 8 | Econ: 10.41The finisher’s spot went to the SRH all-rounder. While his strike rate was behind the likes of Donovan Ferreira and Tim David, what stood out was how often he made the difference. Almost every other inning was a meaningful cameo. His contribution with the ball was equally valuable.Krunal Pandya (Royal Challengers Bangalore)Mat: 16 | Runs: 226 | SR: 145.80 | Average: 37.66 | Wkts: 14 | Econ: 8.41Not eye-catching numbers, but his season was built on timely intervention. Whenever he was called upon to step up, he seemed to find a way. Its economy reflects rate control. In a star-studded team, RCB quietly came through whenever they needed something to do.Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)Mat: 13 | Wkts: 15 | Econ: 6.64 | Average: 22.60 | SR: 20.4In a season where the bowlers often felt like supporting actors in the batting spectacle, the KKR legend remained one of the few who didn’t move around the park. While the teams scored at around 10 per over throughout the contest, Narine’s economy rate was a remarkable 6.64. Five times in 13 spells he conceded a run under a ball.Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)Mat: 16 | Wkts: 25 | Econ: 9.31 | Average: 22.36 | SR: 14.4Took 11 more wickets than any Rajasthan bowler and struck for most of the campaign. The effect was felt soon. He took 14 powerplay wickets, making him one of the most dangerous new-ball operators in the IPL.Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Royal Challengers Bangalore)Mat: 16 | Wkts: 28 | Econ: 7.95 | Average: 17.89 | SR: 13.5Few players have enjoyed a full-circle IPL journey like him. He took 17 wickets in less than seven runs an over in the powerplay and added nine more at the death. More importantly, he delivered in the biggest moments. Years may have passed, but his knack for deciding big matches remains.Kagiso Rabada. (Gujarat Titans)Mat: 17 | Wkts: 29 | Econ: 9.68 | Average: 21.58 | SR: 13.3Dominated the first six overs, took 20 wickets with the new ball and gave Gujarat Titans a decisive lead. Along with Mohammad Siraj, he formed a devastating opening combination that played a central role in GT’s run to the final. He won the Purple Cap that season, becoming the fourth bowler after Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dwayne Bravo and Harshal Patel to win it multiple times.
Was IPL-2026 primarily a season for batsmen?
Effect Subs:Washington Sundar (GT)Mat: 17 | Runs: 377 | SR: 150.2 | Average: 37.7 | Wkts: 1 | Economics: 9.1Rasukh Salam Dar (RCB)Mat: 12 | Wkts: 19 | Econ: 9.4 | Average: 21.3 | SR: 13.5Prince Yadav (LSG)Mat: 14 | Wkts: 16 | Econ: 8.8 | Average: 28.7 | SR: 19.5Tim David (RCB)Inn: 15 | Runs: 305 | SR: 188.2 | Average: 33.9 | 1 x 50
