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Former Chennai Super Kings batter Subramaniam Badrinath recently named his IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament at the end of the league stage.
Badrinath took to his YouTube channel to name the playing XII, as he named a main XI and an Impact Player.
The league stage of the tournament ended on Sunday, and the playoffs will start when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (placed first on the points table) face the Gujarat Titans (placed second) for the Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on Tuesday.
Badrinath’s team includes representatives from 7 of the 10 teams playing in the tournament. RCB and GT share the most players, with 3 each.
Subramanian Badrinath’s IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR)
15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the talk of the town in this tournament. Having made a splash last year, Sooryavanshi graduated to becoming one of the best batters in the entire league.
In 14 matches, he has made 583 runs at an average of 41.6 and a ridiculous strike rate of 232. He also has 3 fifties and a century in this year’s tournament. “Boss baby” Vaibhav has also hit 53 sixes in the tournament, which is already the second most for a single season in IPL history.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is currently at No. 5 on the Orange Cap list.
2. Shubman Gill (GT)
Badrinath picked Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill to partner Sooryavanshi at the top.
Gill has been consistent as well in the tournament and played an integral role in GT finishing second on the IPL 2026 points table. Gill played just 13 matches this year, but has already amassed 616 runs and is second on the Orange Cap table.
Gill has made six fifties this year and averages 47 while striking at 162.
3. Sai Sudharsan (GT)
Although Gill and Sudharsan are GT’s opening pair in IPL 2026, Badrinath still decided to place the incumbent Orange Cap holder Sai Sudharsan at No. 3
Sudharsan has 638 runs with 7 fifties and a hundred in this year’s tournament. He averages 49 while striking at 158. He and Gill have also formed the most formidable opening pair of the IPL over the last few years.
4. Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) (wk)
Although he hasn’t kept wickets for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this year, Badrinath still chose Heinrich Klaasen to be the wicketkeeper.
Klaasen has been the most consistent middle-order batter of IPL 2026, even if he hasn’t been as explosive as before. Despite batting at No. 4 for most of the tournament, Klaasen has 606 runs in 14 matches at a batting average just over 50.
He has made 6 half-centuries with an overall strike rate of 159 this season.
5. Rajat Patidar (RCB) (c)
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished the league stage of IPL 2026 in first place on the points table. Naturally, Badrinath chose their skipper, Rajat Patidar, to be the captain of this team as well.
As far as his batting goes, he has made 393 runs in 13 matches at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 184. He also has 4 half-centuries this season.
6. Krunal Pandya (RCB)
RCB all-rounder Krunal Pandya came in at No. 6. Pandya has been one of the rare all-rounders who have performed well in two roles even during the Impact Player era.
Playing mostly as a floater for RCB, Pandya Sr. has made 182 runs in 14 matches at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 146. He also has one half-century in this year’s IPL.
With the ball, Krunal has taken 11 wickets at an economy rate just under 9 runs an over.
7. Sunil Narine (KKR)
Badrinath then chose the ever-reliable Sunil Narine as the second spinner of this team. Although Narine’s impact with the bat is not what it used to be, he has remained a constant threat with the ball in IPL 2026.
Sunil Narine did Sunil Narine things with the ball and ended the season with 15 wickets in 13 matches at a bowling average of 22.60 and an economy rate of just 6.64.
8. Bhuvenshwar Kumar (RCB)
‘Bhuvi’ has been far and away the best bowler of IPL 2026 and has the joint-most wickets at the end of the league stage.
Bhuveshwar has held the Purple Cap in this tournament for the longest time with 24 wickets in 14 matches. He also took one four-wicket haul this year.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling average in IPL 2026 is a healthy 18.5 runs per wicket alongside an economy rate of just over 8 runs per over.
9. Jofra Archer (RR)
After many years of struggling with injuries, Jofra Archer is back to his best in IPL 2026. Currently, he is the joint-third highest wicket-taker in the tournament, and his own team’s highest wicket-taker.
His 21 wickets in 14 matches have cost just 21.71 runs per wicket and a respectable economy rate of 8.76. In RR’s last league stage match, he also showed glimpses of his all-round capabilities.
10. Kagiso Rabada (GT)
Rabada is IPL 2026’s joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Purple Cap, though, is currently with Bhuvneshwar because of his superior economy rate.
Rabada was the main bowler leading Gujarat’s pace battery that has steamrolled one opponent after another, especially in Ahmedabad. Rabada has taken 24 wickets at an average of 20.54 and an economy of 9 runs per over.
11. Prince Yadav (LSG) / Kartik Tyagi (KKR)
Badrinath said in his video that he was happy with either of these bowlers in the playing XI. Both uncapped Indian pacers have impressed with their skills in IPL 2026.
Both of them played 14 matches each in this tournament. Tyagi took 18 wickets at an average of 27.67 at an economy of 9.76 runs per over.
Prince Yadav took 16 wickets at an average of 28.68 with an economy of 8.82 runs per over.
Impact Player: Akeal Hosein (CSK)
Although IPL rules prevent an overseas player from being the Impact Sub if four overseas players are already in the Playing XI, Badrinath ignored this rule.
Hosein was one of the lone bright spots for CSK’s topsy-turvy IPL 2026 season. Hosein was used sparingly, and only as an Impact Player on pitches with help for spin.
In 7 matches, Hosein took 8 wickets at an average of 25 and an economy of 8 runs per over.
