Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has given early prediction as to which teams will make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs ahead of the start of the league. The tournament is scheduled to begin from March 28 onwards, with defending champions RCB set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru. Chopra has snubbed five-time champions CSK and a consistent GT, and instead has backed MI, RCB, DC and PBKS to make it to the playoffs.
Chopra picks teams which will make it to IPL 2026 playoffs
In a video uploaded by Crex on social media platform X, Chopra noted that while it was too early to pick which teams would make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs, he chose PBKS, MI, RCB and DC as the final 4. When asked about who will lift the trophy this year, he remarked ‘whoever plays well’ before going on to state that a new winner in the form of DC. PBKS, RCB and MI finished in the top four in IPL 2025, with Punjab Kings going on to play the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru where they lost by 6 runs. DC, on the other hand, started off the tournament on a good note but choked in the latter half, hence missing out on a playoffs spot narrowly.
Chopra also picked Sanju Samson to win the Orange Cap, Jasprit Bumrah to win the Purple Cap and Vaibhav Suryavanshi to win the Emerging Player Award in the upcoming edition of the IPL.
IPL 2026 phase 1 schedule
| Match | Date | Day | Home | Away | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28/03/26 | Sat | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Bengaluru | 19:30 |
| 2 | 29/03/26 | Sun | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai | 19:30 |
| 3 | 30/03/26 | Mon | Rajasthan Royals | Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati | 19:30 |
| 4 | 31/03/26 | Tue | Punjab Kings | Gujarat Titans | Mullanpur | 19:30 |
| 5 | 01/04/26 | Wed | Lucknow Super Giants | Delhi Capitals | Lucknow | 19:30 |
| 6 | 02/04/26 | Thu | Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata | 19:30 |
| 7 | 03/04/26 | Fri | Chennai Super Kings | Punjab Kings | Chennai | 19:30 |
| 8 | 04/04/26 | Sat | Delhi Capitals | Mumbai Indians | Delhi | 15:30 |
| 9 | 04/04/26 | Sat | Gujarat Titans | Rajasthan Royals | Ahmedabad | 19:30 |
| 10 | 05/04/26 | Sun | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lucknow Super Giants | Hyderabad | 15:30 |
| 11 | 05/04/26 | Sun | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru | 19:30 |
| 12 | 06/04/26 | Mon | Kolkata Knight Riders | Punjab Kings | Kolkata | 19:30 |
| 13 | 07/04/26 | Tue | Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | Guwahati | 19:30 |
| 14 | 08/04/26 | Wed | Delhi Capitals | Gujarat Titans | Delhi | 19:30 |
| 15 | 09/04/26 | Thu | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata | 19:30 |
| 16 | 10/04/26 | Fri | Rajasthan Royals | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Guwahati | 19:30 |
| 17 | 11/04/26 | Sat | Punjab Kings | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Mullanpur | 15:30 |
| 18 | 11/04/26 | Sat | Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Capitals | Chennai | 19:30 |
| 19 | 12/04/26 | Sun | Lucknow Super Giants | Gujarat Titans | Lucknow | 15:30 |
| 20 | 12/04/26 | Sun | Mumbai Indians | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Mumbai | 19:30 |
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