IPL 2026 Title Race After Auction: 4 Teams That Now Look Like Champions

Be it in the IPL auctions or on the field, several IPL teams are always in the quest for the IPL trophy. After having a strong auction, some of the teams have formed a very formidable squad and are capable of winning the IPL trophy in the upcoming season.

The Kolkata Knight Riders looked like a very formidable side after having aced all their auction bids with the large amount of purse they had. The Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, overturned their trend and now have a bunch of youngsters in the team, while they have overlooked experienced cricketers.

IPL teams in the race for the title in 2026

4. Delhi Capitals

The Delhi Capitals looked like a very promising side during the IPL mini-auction; they made some strategic calls and also got their hands on some of the finest players. The Delhi team looked formidable with several batters like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, and Tristan Stubbs already in the lineup.

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This time they have included players like England opener Ben Duckett, experienced Protea finisher David Miller, and also Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka. Prithvi Shaw has also returned to the Delhi Capitals squad.

They also have several quality bowlers alongside the power-packed finishers in the XI, in the form of the South African duo David Miller and Tristan Stubbs. They have a fine bowling deck with the likes of captain Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc and also T. Natrajan. Alongside them, Auqib Nabi is all set to strengthen their bowling deck.

3. Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians are almost an unchanged squad going out of the IPL mini-auction, as Quinton de Kock was the only major player to be bought in the auction. However, they have made some promising picks in the form of trades, which include Sherfane Rutherford and Shardul Thakur from GT and LSG.

They already have a strong batting order in the form of Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir and Hardik Pandya as well. Corbin Bosch and Mitchell Santner are among the most reliable options as all-rounders.

Quinton de Kock strengthens the top-order, and Sherfane Rutherford can be ideal as a lower-order finisher. This time around, the Mumbai Indians have backed their pace attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult with spinners Mayank Markande and Allah Ghazanfar.

2. Chennai Super Kings

The Chennai Super Kings already have a fine bunch of players in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the skipper and the fine quality of youngsters in the team. Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube and Noor Ahmed are among the names who have already impressed them over the past seasons.

Sanju Samson has also been drafted into the side through trade; however, the two uncapped players in the squad are Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, on whom the Super Kings have invested heavily.

The CSK bowling deck would be the only area where they lack some formidability, as they will have Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis leading the attack alongside Noor Ahmed as the lead spinner. Prashant Veer and Rahul Chahar might be the other spinners in the XI, which makes CSK one of the most balanced sides for the upcoming season.

1. Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the strongest sides after this mini-auction. They have finally filled in the opening spots with the likes of New Zealand wicket-keepers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen. Tejasvi Singh, on the other hand, is another fine wicket-keeper in their deck.

They will also have the likes of Rachin Ravindra at the top of the order, while the rest of their batting order looks firm, especially after all-rounder Cameron Green's arrival. The bowling deck is probably one of the finest in the league, with Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Matheesha Pathirana, and Mustafizur Rahman.

The three-time champions will be seen as one of the strongest sides on the sheets under their new management, led by Abhishek Nayar and Shane Watson.

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