IPL 2026 top four teams predicted by Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, and other experts

Several experts from the Star Sports panel of the IPL 2026 picked the top four teams that would finish as the four teams in the playoffs by the end of the season. The Mumbai Indians are one common team in the list of every former cricketer.

Over the 18 seasons in the IPL, several teams have made it to the playoffs, and almost every side has at least featured in one final, other than the Lucknow Super Giants, who have been part of the IPL for the past four seasons.

The most successful franchises in the IPL include the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians, who have won it five times in the history of the IPL. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders (3), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (1), Rajasthan Royals (1), Deccan Chargers (1), Sunrisers Hyderabad (1), and Gujarat Titans (1) have all won the IPL.

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The Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and the Delhi Capitals are the three franchises to have not won the competition even once.

Mumbai Indians are a constant pick in the top four for IPL 2026

The Mumbai Indians are a constant part of the top 4 list of IPL franchises for all the experts. The Star Sports experts' panel comprised several stars like Faf du Plessis, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Aakash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Hanuma Vihari, Saba Karim, and more.

None of these experts missed out on picking the Mumbai Indians as one of their four predicted franchises to make it to the playoffs. Having the World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav and a stunning pack of cricketers led by Hardik Pandya, the MI side is the strongest in IPL 2026.

Even the former players in the IPL who have played on opposition sides picked the Mumbai Indians as the constant best. This might also be a season for Rohit Sharma, where the veteran can bounce back.

Former RCB skipper backs defending champions for playoff spot in 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru went on to lift the maiden IPL trophy in the history of the competition. They were led by Rajat Patidar, the youngster who will look to defend the title for the first time in IPL 2026.

Faf du Plessis, the former RCB skipper, did not fail to pick the defending champions as the final four teams in the IPL 2026 points table. Only the likes of Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari did not pick them in their final four.

Virat Kohli might once again be the top scorer, considering his promising run with the bat following his retirement from the two formats of international cricket.

Who are the Top 4 finalists as per Star Sports Experts?

While the Mumbai Indians remained a constant choice for the top four, not many buzzed away from the RCB in the top four. However, the two other spots were handed by different experts to different franchises.

Punjab Kings were picked by the likes of Faf, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Aakash Chopra, Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla and Sanjay Banger. Only Varun Aaron and Lakshmipati Balaji did not pick them.

Several others picked the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and some picked the Delhi Capitals as well. However, no one gave even a slight chance to teams like Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.

STAR SPORTS EXPERTS PICK TOP 4 TEAMS IN IPL 2026

1. Faf - MI, RCB, PBKS, CSK or DC
2. Irfan - MI, DC, PBKS, RR
3. Harbhajan - MI, SRH, PBKS
4. Aakash - MI, RCB, DC, PBKS
5. Pujara -MI, GT, CSK, KKR
6. Kaif - MI, RCB, PBKS, DC
7. Vihari - MI, SRH, DC, PBKS
8. Chawla - MI, RCB, KKR, PBKS
9. Saba Karim - MI, RCB, DC, CSK
10. Bangar - MI, RCB, PBKS, DC
11. Balaji - MI, RCB, CSK, SRH
12. Aaron - MI, RCB, SRH, CSK

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