Richard Mann sets the scene for IPL 2026, delivering his verdict on the leading contenders and advising two bets in the outright market.
Cricket tips: IPL 2026
1.5pts Kolkata Knight Riders to win the Indian Premier League at 10/1 (General)
1.5pts Punjab Kings to win the Indian Premier League at 9/1 (bet365, 10bet)
KOLKTATA KNIGHT RIDERS have been one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League, winning the tournament in 2012, 2014 and 2024, and the men in purple are backed for title number four in the 2026 edition.
Regular readers of these pages will know the importance I place on franchise pedigree in these competitions, but there is much more to the case for KKR this year, with captain Ajinkya Rahane having a strong and deep squad at his disposal, something that appears underestimated by outright prices of 10/1.
Rahane himself is an excellent, experienced captain who oversaw an away Test series win in Australia under his leadership of the Indian national team. I find recent criticism of his batting odd, given he made 390 runs last term while striking at a healthy 147.72.
And the batting talent around him is particularly exciting. Angkrish Raghuvanshi enjoyed a fine breakthrough season last term, reaching 300 runs for the campaign and promising big things for the future at only 21 years of age. Rinku Singh is a gun finisher who helps form a dangerous, homegrown middle order.
KKR draft in Kiwi big hitters
Because of that middle order, priceless overseas batting slots have been freed up for powerhouse New Zealand opening pair Finn Allen and Tim Seifert who could prove absolutely deadly on their home ground of Eden Gardens.
In fact, Allen blasted a 33-ball hundred at his new home in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup against South Africa only a matter of weeks ago, as he finished that tournament with a strike-rate of 200.00 to follow on from his impressive Big Bash exploits. As for Seifert, he made 326 runs at an average of 46.57 from just eight innings.
The batting looks exceptionally strong when you add all-rounders Cameron Green and Rachin Ravindra to the mix, along with West Indian Rovman Powell.
A season-ending injury to Harshit Rana is a significant blow, but the pace stocks still include Green, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani, the rapid Umran Malik and crack death bowler Matheesha Pathirana. Akash Deep has serious skills with the new ball and could be used as a powerplay specialist.
But the strength of the bowling clearly lies in the spin department. Varun Chakravarthy is a genius and Sunil Narine the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL. Narine remains one of the most economical bowlers in the game.
KKR tick plenty of boxes, then, and have the variety in their squad to adapt to different conditions. If they get a spinning pitch, Varun and Narine will give them the upper hand, and they have Ravindra to come in to provide four more overs of spin and top-class batting. On flat pitches, expect Green to bat at number three instead, and bowl four overs of pace.
This tournament always takes plenty of winning, perhaps more so in recent years as competition has become even greater, but KKR have lots going for them and odds of 10/1 make plenty of appeal.
Mumbai Indians chase more IPL glory
As ever, Mumbai Indians head the betting at around 4/1, and I find it hard to pick too many holes in their chances.
But for a sluggish start to last season when without Jasprit Bumrah, they might well have earned themselves a top-two finish in the league table and potentially gone on to win the tournament. Once Burmah returned to the side, they looked very strong.
Bumrah and Trent Boult form a potent pace pairing and complement each other well, though the lack of a top-class spinner remains a concern. Perhaps Mumbai they feel they don’t need one playing their home matches at the Wankhede Stadium.
The batting knocks your eyes out. Rohit Sharma is looking lean and mean, set for a big season, and I’m excited to how he and Ryan Rickelton can develop their opening partnership. Rickelton is a fine player.
Further down, you have the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Will Jacks, the latter having enjoyed a brilliant winter across formats.
If Bumrah stays fit, I expect Mumbai to be right in the mix, but as alluded to already, this is an open year, so I’d prefer to take on the front of the market and have a couple of teams running for me.
Punjab peaking for title bid
Joining KKR on the shortlist are PUNJAB KINGS, who finished runners-up 12 months ago in what was a breakthrough campaign.
It was no surprise to see a step forward from this franchise last season, Ricky Ponting’s first as head coach, and I’d expect the Australian to eke out further improvement from a squad that managed to keep its core intact at the latest auction.
For my money, Shreyas Iyer, who made 604 runs at 50.33 last term, is one of the best players in the tournament and has been criminally overlooked by India of late. He captains this side well and has clearly formed a strong relationship with Ponting.
Expect more fast starts from explosive opening pair Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, before the in-form Marcus Stoinis and Nehal Wadhera take up the running the middle order. South African all-rounder Marco Jansen is another very good fit.
I’m a big fan of Kiwi paceman Lockie Ferguson, but it speaks volumes about the strength of the Kings’ potential starting XI that he may have to warm the bench, as the excellent Arshdeep Singh and leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal take centre stage.
Everywhere you look there is quality, and variety, and I’m backing Ponting to get the best out of a side who deserve to be shorter than 9/1 for title glory.
It’s worth remembering they topped the league table last year, before blowing what ought to have been a relatively straightforward run chase in the final. Perhaps that came a year too soon in the development if this squad, but there can be no such excuses this time around, and a bold sight seems assured from this devilishly strong unit.
RCB sweat on Hazlewood fitness
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are sure to have their supporters again and, with Virat Kohli expected to provide them with more strong starts, all the makings of another big year are there. Jacob Bethell could slot in at number three.
The bowling was outstanding in 2025, a far cry from previous seasons, but Josh Hazlewood is absolutely key, and he won’t make the start of the tournament as he continues his recovery from the calf injury that kept him out of last winter’s Ashes. He hasn’t played since.
If Hazlewood was to break down again, or indeed not get back to full fitness at all, I’d have serious reservations about the RCB bowling at home, where defending totals has historically proven very tough. While the batting remains very good, I’m not sure it’s in better shape than 12 months ago, either.
With a weaker bowling attack to go to war with than in previous campaigns, I’m much cooler on Chennai Super Kings this time around, while a lack of batting power promises to count against Delhi Capitals.
Can Buttler bounce back to form?
Currently third in the market are Gujarat Titans, and I can certainly see the case for them if the likes of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler can again deliver with the bat. The middle order isn’t anything like as strong, so that top order does need to produce.
Buttler’s horror-show at the recent T20 World Cup is a concern, then, and in the belief the Titans will back their man, a quick snap back to form will be required to ensure his side don’t start slowly.
As with many of the franchises this year, there is quality and potential weakness in equal measure when assessing the Titans, making for another competitive season featuring plenty of entertaining cricket. Expect big runs, certainly bigger than at the T20 World Cup and, in the end, batting power might well win out.
That will certainly suit our two picks, teams that from top to bottom are laced with muscle and the promise of big totals. For those that way inclined, the KKR/Kings final is 45/1 at the time of writing, but this is a fiercely competitive renewal, so I’ll keep things simple with two bets on what should prove a solid dutch for the biggest show in cricket.
Posted at 15:30 GMT on 20/03/26
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