Your New Favorite League This Summer? The Indian Premier League
- Om Brown
- Apr 18
- 11 min read
Welcome to the TATA Indian Premier League! Widely regarded as the most competitive, chaotic, and best domestic cricket league in the world, not only does the IPL boast the best Indian players, it recruits top-tier global talent to fit onto 10 squads to ensure the most entertaining 14 matches for each team. The IPL runs from late-March to the end of May.
Join me on what has already been a rollercoaster of a tournament!
I plan to cover the entirety of the tournament, but my main focus will be on a few key storylines throughout the season, while also sprinkling in news on each team. Enjoy!
All results and records are as of 10 PM EST on April 17th.
Basic Cricket Rules:
Cricket has three main formats: Test matches (up to 5 days, very slow and strategic), ODIs (One Day Internationals, about 8 hours with 50 overs per team), and T20 (the fastest version, about 3 hours with 20 overs per team). The IPL plays T20.
In T20, each team gets one “inning” to bat, meaning one turn to score runs, and 20 “overs,” a set of 6 balls (like 6 pitches). So a team can face up to 120 balls, but their inning can end early if 10 players get out. Once a batter is out, their day is done. One team bats first (opening), sets a total score, and the other team bats second (chasing) trying to beat that score; if they pass it before using all their overs, they win, and if they don’t, the first team wins.
In cricket, you score runs mainly by hitting the ball and running between the two sets of wickets (like bases). After the batter hits the ball, both players run to the other side; each successful back-and-forth equals 1 run, and they can keep going for 2, 3, or more if the defense is slow. There are also “automatic” runs: if the ball reaches the boundary (edge of the field) on the ground it’s 4 runs, and if it clears the boundary in the air it’s 6 runs (like a home run). You can also get extra runs from mistakes by the defense, like bad throws or illegal pitches.
A “wicket” basically means getting a batter out, similar to an out in baseball, but it can happen in several ways. The most common is when the bowler hits the stumps (the three sticks behind the batter) and knocks the bails off, but a batter can also be out if a fielder catches the ball before it hits the ground, or if the defense hits the stumps while the batter is running and not safely at the crease (similar to being tagged out).
League Structure:
There are 10 total teams split into 2 groups. Each team will play their 4 group opponents once, and play the other group’s 5 teams twice to ensure 14 total games (7 home and 7 away). However, when looking at the standings, all 10 teams are grouped together as one whole league. The top 4 squads advance to the playoffs, regardless of which group they are in.
Group A:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Group B:
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Playoff Format:
The #1 and #2 seeds face off in a match called Qualifier 1. The winner advances directly to the final while the loser heads to play in Qualifier 2. The #3 and #4 seeds play each other in the Eliminator. The loser of the Eliminator’s season is over, while the winner advances to Qualifier 2 to face off vs. the loser of Qualifier 1. The winner of this match plays the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final.
The reigning champions are Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who captured their first title in 2025.
Top Storylines:
1. Mumbai Indians: Title Challengers, or Seasonlong Strugglers?:
The 5x champions (‘13, ‘15, ‘17, ‘19, ‘20) opened the tournament as frontrunners for the 2026 tournament, but have stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 mark. It makes a ton of sense that they were considered title contenders. The Indians roster is absolutely stacked.
Notable Batters:
- Former Indian National Team Captain - Rohit Sharma
- Current Indian National T20 Captain - Surya Kumar Yadav (SKY)
- Explosive Left Handed Batter, On INT - Tilak Varma
- Former South African Captain (Test, ODI, T20) - Quinton de Kock
- Explosive Opening Batter, South African Wicket-Keeper - Ryan Rickelton
Rohit is widely regarded as one of the best batters ever, and still hits at a high level despite being 38 years old, though he will be sidelined for a bit due to a hamstring injury. SKY just captained India to back-to-back T20 World Cup victories, and is a top batter in the T20 format. Tilak is an emerging middle-order batter who can flip games, especially in T20. de Kock has played in one match, and hit 112 runs off 60 balls, proving he is still a very capable batter and wicket-keeper. Rickelton is an explosive opener who has a 50-run game this season, and has formed a nice opening partnership with Rohit at the top of the order.
Notable All-Rounders (Players Who Bat and Bowl at a High Level):
- MI Capitan, Indian National Team Player - Hardik Pandya
- New Zealand Captain (ODI, T20) - Mitchell Santner
Hardik is a key cog of the Indian National Team, and captained the Gujarat Titans to a title in 2022 during their inaugural season. As a player he can turn the tide of a game with both his bat and as a bowler. Santner just led his Kiwis to a runner-up finish in the 2026 T20 World Cup, and stabilizes the weaker lower order as a batter while providing bowling for key overs as a spinner.
Notable Bowlers:
- Best Fast Bowler in the World, India’s - Jasprit Bumrah
- Top New Zealand Fast Bowler - Trent Boult
Bumrah is recognized by both fans and players as one the best, if not the best fast bowler in the world, while Boult is one of the best bowlers on the New Zealand national team. They came into the tournament as the best bowling duo in the league.
Their roster is clearly one of the best in the league, so why are they sitting at 1-3 and 9th out of 10 places? Well, they just haven’t played well.
Highlights from MI vs. KKR.
Mumbai won their first match vs. the Knight Riders, scoring 224 runs with 4 wickets (224/4), chasing down KKR’s 220/4 in 19.1 overs. Rickelton (81 runs off 43 balls) and Rohit (78 runs off 38 balls) lead the offensive charge. Hardik (18 runs off 11 balls) chased down the target after Surya Kumar Yadav (16 runs off 8 balls) and Tilak (20 runs off 14 balls) fell quickly.
However, it went downhill for MI after that. Hardik missed their next game vs. the Capitals and DC chased down the target of 162/6 in 18.1 overs. Rickelton (9 runs off 11 balls) and Tilak (0 runs off 2 balls) got out almost immediately. Surya’s 51 runs off 36 balls stretched out the run total, but Delhi was able to rundown the run total.
In a shortened game of 11 overs due to weather vs. the Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai was blown out 150/3 to 123/9. The Royals' lofty run total made it difficult for the Indians to chase. Rickelton, Rohit, SKY, and Hardik all failed to score 10 runs.
MI dropped their third straight match, this one to RCB. The offensive assault of RCB’s Phil Salt (78 runs off 36 balls), Virat Kohli (50 runs off 38 balls), and Rajat Patidar (53 runs off 20 balls) put a big number up for Mumbai to chase 240/4. While Rickelton (37 runs off 22 balls) and Surya (33 runs off 22 balls) gave MI a decent chance, Rohit (19 runs off 13 balls) got hurt and Tilak (1 run off 3 balls) couldn’t provide length. Shurfane Rutherford did hit 71 runs off 31 balls with nine 6’s but it was not enough, as MI scored 222/5.
Though de Kock debued vs. the Punjab Kings, his 100-piece still wasn't enough, as the rest of the squad scored just 83 runs off the other 60 balls. The MI bowling gave up 198 runs to the Kings' chase in only 16.3 overs.
Mumbai has struggled to limit runs, which has strained their batting. Bumrah has yet to take a wicket while Boult has just one in the four matches, and Boult didn't even make the starting XI vs. PBKS.
I doubt that the Indians will continue to struggle like this as they have an amazing bowling duo, plus veteran leaders on the batting side, but in a short season of 14 games, MI must come to form quickly or else they could risk falling even farther out of the playoff picture. I think they are simply too talented to keep struggling the way they are.
2. Can RCB Defend Their Maiden Title?:
The Royal Challengers have been firing on all cylinders batting-wise to start the tournament. Sitting in 2nd place at 4-1 at the time of writing, they have scored over 200 runs in all 4 matches. legendary former Indian National captain Virat Kohli is 2nd in the league in total runs at 228 , while captain Rajat Patidar is 4th with 222.
RCB has depth in their batting order as well. IPL’s rules state that only 4 international players can be in the starting 11. The odd man out in the order is a key batter for England, Jacob Bethell, who smashed an astounding 105 runs off just 48 balls in the T20 World Cup. Since fellow Englishman Phil Salt has been so good at the opening strike with Kohli, Bethell has yet to debut this season.
Their bowling has been solid, as RCB’s attack has protected against 2 out of 3 chases from the opposition. Fast bowler Jacob Duffy has collected 6 wickets in just 12 overs over 3 matches. Other leading wicket takers have played in 5 matches. If Duffy bowled in 5 he would have 10 wcikets, good for a tie in 2nd place. All-Rounder Krunal Pandya has taken 7. Elite T20 swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has 7 wickets as well.
RCB has gotten off to the type of start they wanted. If their batting continues to pressure the opponents, they can definitely defend their championship.
Highlights from MI vs. RCB.
Around the League:
Note: This will not include RCB or MI
Team: Punjab Kings
Place: 1st, 4-0
Captain: Shreyas Iyer, Batter
Outlook: Great! The sky is the limit!
The Kings have a great bowling attack with fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh, and Kiwi Lockie Fergeson to mesh with spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Iyer brings veteran leadership and a steady presence. He is the only man in IPL history to lead three separate clubs to the finals as captain. He took DC to the final in ‘20, won with KKR in ‘24, and in his first year with Punjab a year ago, took the Kings to the final as well. Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has been exeptional as well, His Kings are looking good to start 2026.
Highlights from CSK vs. PBKS.
Team: Rajasthan Royals
Place: 3rd, 4-1
Captain: Riyan Parag, All-Rounder
Outlook: Great! The sky is the limit!
The Royals are sitting pretty in the top 3 of the league right now, and started out with a 4 game winning streak before a rough loss to the Sunrisers. Parag, fellow all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, batsman Shubham Dubey, and bowler Jofra Archer provide an experienced core to lead the team. In a short season like the IPL, a good start can propel a team to the playoffs. The Royals are certainly on that track.
Highlights from RR vs. MI.
Team: Gujrat Titans
Place: 5th, 3-2
Captain: Shubman Gill, Batter
Outlook: Ok? Did we peak too early?
After winning the title in their inaugural season in 2022, the Titans are looking to get back to the mountain top. They have a nice looking squad though, with Indian Test and ODI captain Gill leading the charge. Jos Buttler is 10th in the tournament in runs, and Glenn Phillips is known to be a powerful batter. Bowling wise they run out a fearsome trio of Indian’s Mohamad Siraj, Ishant Sharma and South African Kagiso Rabada. There is a running joke that GT peaked too early, but they have talent and good leadership and definitely could get back to their early winning ways.
Highlights from DC vs. GT.
Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Place: 5th, 2-3
Captain: Pat Cummins, Bowler, Australia (injured)
Stand-In Captain: Ishan Kishan, Wicket-Keeper Batter
Outlook: Good. Runs = Wins
SRH boasts an impressive lineup with Indian national team top-order batters in Kishan and Abishek Sharma to pair with Australian Travis Head and South African Hienrich Klaasen. Klaasen and Kishan are 3rd and 5th in the league in total runs scored with 224 and 213 respectively. Cummins is recovering from a back injury as of now, but his target return of lat-April it will aid the bowling very much. If he doesn’t come back on time, the Sunrisiers will look to their bats to win their matches for them, and they have some damn good ones.
Highlights from SRH vs RR.
Team: Delhi Capitals
Place: 6th, 2-2
Captain: Axar Patel, All-Rounder
Outlook: Good. Balance is key.
The Capitals sport a balanced team. Batting wise they have KL Rahul at the top setting the table and David Miller as a finisher. Patel provides punch at the middle or bottom of the order and spin along with bowler Kuldeep Yadav. Fearsome fast bowler Mitchell Starc will set the pace for their bowling group. Overall DC is a club with high hopes and they have the right amount of firepower in all phases of the game to try to finally win their maiden championship.
Highlights from LSG vs. DC.
Team: Lucknow Super Giants
Place: 7th, 2-3
Captain: Rishabh Pant, Wicket-Keeper Batter
Outlook: Solid, but consistency is needed.
My hometown team, LSG, has a talented but inconsistent squad. They are led by explosive Indian Test vice-captian, Pant, whose game should translate to T20 well, but has struggled to do so. He anchors the middle order, while South Africa’s T20 captain, Aiden Markram and Australia's T20 captain Mitchell Marsh form a destructive duo at the top. However, West Indian Nicholas Pooran has struggled mightily this season after his lethal '25 campaign. He is the key to their middle. Veteran fast bowler Mohammad Shami (former top Indian National team bowler) and second-year man Prince Yadav (9 wickets taken, 3rd in tournament) anchor the bowling. Overall we have the talent, but 2026 has been frustraining and more down than up so far.
Highlights from SRH vs. LSG.
Team: Chennai Super Kings
Place: 8th, 2-3
Captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Batter
Outlook: Don’t call it a comeback!
CSK started out with three straight L’s, but have won their last two. Former Indian National team captain and absolute legend of the game, 44-year old wicket-keeper, MS Dhoni returns in 2026 as the team looks for their record 6th title. While he hasn’t played so far this year, the Super Kings have 2026 T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, Sanju Samson behind the wickets. All-Rounder Shivam Dube is another key player in the order. Bowling wise, New Zealand’s Matt Henry leads CSK. In such a short season, all it takes is one run to get into good position for the playoffs!
Highlights from CSK vs. DC.
Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Place: 10th, 0-5
Captain: Ajinkya Rahane, Batter
Outlook: Welp, there’s always next year.
KKR has had a dreadful start at 0-5, with a washout match due to rain. Winners in 2024, KKR should have an elite batting order with the Kiwi combination Tim Seifert and Finn Allen and West Indian Rovman Powell. Allen smashed a record 100 runs off 33 balls in the T20 World Cup semis, but has just 81 total runs in 5 matches this year. Seifert has barely played likely due to Australian all-rounder Cam Green’s big price tag. Green was retained at this year’s auction for ₹25.20 Crore ($2.7 million), the highest bid for an international player ever. Green got off to a horrible start, averaging 27 runs a match as a batter (though he just hit 79 runs off 55 balls vs. GT), while taking just one wicket as a bowler. It's safe to say that it has been a mess in Kolkata so far.
Final Thoughts:
So far the IPL has been great in 2026, and I expect the chaos to continue all tournament long. Check in around the end of the season to see how my top stories went and how the standings unfolded. I also plan to cover the playoffs too! I hope my American audience learned some new things about cricket while I hope my international audience got caught up on the nitty-gritty details of the IPL! See you soon!
If you want better highlights of matches, team dreamdowns, and anything else IPL related, go to the league website, or ESPNcricinfo.
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