Squad depth charts, retained players, released players, auction pickups, and the role clarity question that decides every fantasy XI.
Squad strength analysis, role-by-role depth, and the auction moves that shaped each roster for the 2026 season.
Spin-heavy, experience-led.
🔵Power-hitting core.
🔴Top-order aggression.
⚫Spin twin, pace battery.
🟠Aggressive batting depth.
🔷Allrounder-heavy.
🔴Batting depth rebuild.
🌸Young allrounders.
Chennai's squad is built around three principles: a settled top four, three frontline spinners who can bowl in any phase, and a death-overs specialist at the back. The 2026 auction focused on adding batting depth at number five and six.
Ruturaj Gaikwad retains the captaincy. His anchor role and the middle-order power hitters around him give CSK one of the most balanced batting lineups in the league.
Ravindra Jadeja remains the most-valuable allrounder on the roster. Devon Conway returns as overseas opener. The uncapped Indian pick to watch is the young Tamil Nadu batter who came through the pre-season camp.
Mumbai's 2026 squad is built around the power-hitting core that delivered the 2025 playoff run. Two left-arm wrist spinners rotate through the middle overs, supported by a pace battery that has shown reliability at the death.
Hardik Pandya retains the captaincy. His batting position - usually number four - has stabilised since the 2025 mid-season reshuffle.
Suryakumar Yadav is the league's most consistent T20 batter. The uncapped allrounder pick from Mumbai's pre-season camp is the player to watch in the powerplay.
Bengaluru's 2026 squad is the most top-order-heavy in the league. The first four batters average a combined 47 IPL career strike rate of 152. The depth comes from a strong seam-allrounder bench that allows three different combinations depending on venue.
Rajat Patidar retains the captaincy. His batting at number three is the platform around which the rest of the order is set.
The seam allrounders are the unlock. Bengaluru has three Indian seam allrounders competing for two spots, which gives the franchise a tactical flexibility that few other sides can match.
Kolkata's 2026 squad is built around two wrist spinners who bowl the middle overs in tandem, supported by a pace battery of four Indian seamers competing for death-overs slots. The batting order is anchored by an experienced top three.
Ajinkya Rahane retains the captaincy. His role at number three - stabilising the powerplay and accelerating in the middle overs - is the pivot around which the rest of the lineup is set.
Sunil Narine remains the most-valuable fantasy pick in the squad - he bats, bowls, and fields at a high level. The uncapped wrist spinner who came through the 2025 season is the differential captain pick.
The squad profiles for SRH, DC, PBKS, RR, GT, and LSG round out the ten-team league. Each follows the same format as the profiles above.
Reading the ten squad profiles together reveals patterns about how the league is structured in 2026.
The ten franchises have collectively signed 38 overseas players in 2026. The most-signed nationalities are Australian (12), South African (8), English (7), and New Zealand (5).
Across the ten squads, 47 players are uncapped Indian cricketers. The most-represented state is Maharashtra (8 players), followed by Karnataka (6) and Tamil Nadu (5).
Across the ten squads, the role distribution is roughly 38% top-order batters, 28% bowlers, 22% allrounders, and 12% wicketkeeper-batters. The 22% allrounder share is the highest in IPL history.
The squad profiles for SRH, DC, PBKS, RR, GT, and LSG round out the ten-team league. Each follows the same format as the profiles above.
Reading the ten squad profiles together reveals patterns about how the league is structured in 2026.
The ten franchises have collectively signed 38 overseas players in 2026. The most-signed nationalities are Australian (12), South African (8), English (7), and New Zealand (5).
Across the ten squads, 47 players are uncapped Indian cricketers. The most-represented state is Maharashtra (8 players), followed by Karnataka (6) and Tamil Nadu (5).
Across the ten squads, the role distribution is roughly 38% top-order batters, 28% bowlers, 22% allrounders, and 12% wicketkeeper-batters. The 22% allrounder share is the highest in IPL history.
A short read on the remaining six franchises: SRH, DC, PBKS, RR, GT, and LSG. Each profile follows the same format as the four-team profiles above.
SRH invested heavily in batting depth at the 2026 auction. Their squad has aggressive batters from number one through number eight. The strategy aims for high team totals, with the bowling attack relying on two frontline seamers and a wrist spinner.
Delhi's squad is heavy on allrounders - players who bat and bowl. The strategy gives the captain flexibility across phases, and the Impact Player swap is used to bring in a fifth bowler on most matchdays.
Punjab released much of their previous squad and rebuilt around new top-order signings. The strategy is high-variance - it could either work spectacularly or fail quickly. The bowling attack relies on two frontline seamers and a wrist spinner.
Rajasthan prioritised young Indian allrounders at the auction. The strategy bets on emerging talent rather than established stars. The bowling attack has good variety across spin and pace.
GT's squad is built around Rashid Khan at the wrist-spin slot. The strategy is to dominate the middle overs through spin, supported by a pace attack that has shown consistency at the death.
LSG's squad is the most balanced in the league across formats - batters who can bowl, bowlers who can bat, and allrounders who can do both. The strategy is flexibility, with the captain picking the XI based on match-ups.
Reading the ten squad profiles together reveals three patterns about how the league is structured in 2026.
The ten franchises have collectively signed 38 overseas players in 2026. The most-signed nationalities are Australian (12), South African (8), English (7), and New Zealand (5).
Across the ten squads, 47 players are uncapped Indian cricketers. The most-represented state is Maharashtra (8 players), followed by Karnataka (6) and Tamil Nadu (5).
Across the ten squads, the role distribution is roughly 38% top-order batters, 28% bowlers, 22% allrounders, and 12% wicketkeeper-batters. The 22% allrounder share is the highest in IPL history.