The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been quite fabulous for fans so far. The matches have been jam-packed, and we are not just talking about the attendances. Barring MS Dhoni’s absence, the tournament has so far been worth time investing. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have rolled back clocks, while the ‘Gen Zs’ have dictated the terms as of now.
Below, we have compiled the IPL 2026 team of the week, consisting of the 12 best players in the tournament so far. Up until April 5, we have seen 11 matches take place, including two superb double headers on the weekends. Defending champions RCB started off the season with an easy win over SRH, and concluded the weekend with another dominant show against arch-rivals CSK.
IPL 2026 Team of the Week (Mar 28 to April 5)
| S. No | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | RCB |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | MI |
| 3 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk) | KKR |
| 4 | Sameer Rizvi | DC |
| 5 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | SRH |
| 6 | Sarfaraz Khan | CSK |
| 7 | Tim David ✈️ | RCB |
| 8 | Harsh Dubey | SRH |
| 9 | Ravi Bishnoi | RR |
| 10 | Jacob Duffy ✈️ | RCB |
| 11 | Lungi Ngidi ✈️ | DC |
| 12 | Vijaykumar Vyshak | PBKS |
- Virat Kohli – 97 runs at 97 and 173.21
What a name to start with. Virat Kohli began the IPL 2026 in the most unsurprising fashion as he steered RCB to an easy chase in the season opener against SRH. He made 69* off 38, giving the Bengaluru crowd something to remember. Despite looking rusty at the start, Kohli get into his groove and showed why he is considered the best in this day and age as well. Against CSK, he made a handy 28.
- Rohit Sharma – 113 runs at 56.5 and 176.56
Two pillars of not just Indian cricket but of global cricket to start this team. Despite retiring from two major international formats, both Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been fabulous as far as their rythm is concerned. If Kohli began with a bang, Rohit showed why he is considered the best white-ball opener of his generation. Against his favourite side, KKR, Rohit pummelled 78 off 38. He smoked runs at SR 205.26 that night and led MI to their highest chase in Mumbai. In the next match, Rohit again played a decent knock. He adjusted to the tricky conditions in Delhi and made 35. Rohit can easily captain this side as well.
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk) – 103 runs at 51.5 and 177.58
Angkrish Raghuvanshi is playing his maiden IPL season as a designated wicket-keeper. And what a job he is doing for a struggling KKR side. He has been the only shining light for the Knight Riders so far as no other keeper has scored more runs than him. Two games, two half-centuries to show. He has been in form since the practice game itself and his strike rate of 177 is proof of that.
- Sameer Rizvi – 160 runs at 160 and 163.26
Now, here comes the best of the lot so far. Sameer Rizvi has been too good to watch, leading the run-scoring charts with 160 runs. His both knocks have come under pressure, against two top-quality sides and while chasing for the Delhi Capitals (DC). Rizvi, who didn’t get many chances last year, is showing his worth. Against LSG, he weathered out a tough situation and dragged DC to their first win. Against MI, he was dominant enough and missed his maiden century as he got out at 90 off 51.
- Nitish Kumar Reddy – 96 runs at 32 and 152.38; 2 wickets
Nitish Kumar Reddy had a horrible IPL 2025. He was even dropped by SRH midway through the tournament. And now, he has been their best story so far. With much more international experience udner his bag, NKR is playing like he should. With the bat, he has delivered at the difficult position of number six, scoring 39 and 56 in consecutive games. He won the POTM in SRH’s only win so far, as he took 2/17 as well in that game.
- Sarfaraz Khan – 99 runs at 33 and 202.04
CSK may have bought Sarfaraz Khan for INR 75 lac, but the domestic star has been performing like a superstar for the side. He is the Indian with the highest strike rate (min. 85 runs) in the tournament so far. He has hammered the most fours (16) so far. All this despite the fact that Sarfaraz has batted across three different positions in as many games. CSK haven’t used him properly but Sarfaraz has still delivered. CSK have always stuttered at the start before the Mumbai lad has hit some amazing shots. Against RCB, he made a 25-ball 50 that even earned him applause from the master Virat Kohli himself.
- Tim David – 86 runs at infinite average and 245.71
Tim David caused mayhem in the RCB vs CSK game. He was the reason why RCB ended up with 250 and not anything around 220. The powerful Australian had his luck with him but made sure CSK bowlers were sent on a leather hunt. In a span of 17 balls, David struck 8 lusty sixes. He literally clubbed runs at a SR of 280.00, striking 70* off 25. The ball-striking against both spin and pace was outstanding to watch and this is just the beginning!
- Harsh Dubey – 4 wickets at 7.77 economy
An unlikely name but Harsh Dubey has quietly done his job for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After captaining Vidarbha last domestic season, Dubey has nurtured his game in a beautiful way that now he is even entrusted with bowling in the powerplay. When Finn Allen pummelled 28 in 6 balls, it was Dubey who got him caught and bowled in the next ball. Against LSG, he tightened the game with two wickets.
- Ravi Bishnoi – 5 wickets at 8.14 economy
To round up the spin unit, we have Ravi Bishnoi. Playing for his new team Rajasthan Royals (RR), Bishnoi has been fabulous. After leaking runs at just 5.33 in his debut RR game, Bishnoi won the POTM against GT for taking four wickets. Yes, he went for some runs but his wickets in the middle overs got RR ahead in the curve. Bishnoi has soared up his speed just a notch this season and is on a redemption arc he desperately needed. He has the Purple cap at the time of writing.
- Jacob Duffy – 5 wickets at 10 economy
RCB fans were worried about Josh Hazlewood. But Jacob Duffy has not let them miss ‘Hoff’. A tall pacer, who extracts some extra bounce off the deck and loves to bowl those heavy balls, Duffy has showed why he has one of the most T20I wickets in last year or so. He is in the race for the Purple cap with him right now, and his wickets tally includes the names like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson. Truly incredible.
- Lungi Ngidi – 4 wickets at 7.95 economy
Another overseas pacer, Lungi Ngidi, features in the list. For the last few months, he has been the second-best pacer in T20s after Jasprit Bumrah. That speaks about his incredible form. Ngidi has perhaps mastered the art of T20 bowling, with him bossing the slower ball variations. The one that dips in front of a batter is a delight to watch. Just not ask Nicholas Pooran about it. Despite bowling tough overs, his economy of 7.95 is just fabulous. Infact, in the death overs, his economy drops to 6.55, which is just unreal. DC are not missing Mitchell Starc at all.
- Vijaykumar Vyshak – 5 wickets at 9 economy
Here comes the Impact player of this team, Vijaykumar Vyshak. The Karnataka pacer has already bettered his IPL 2025 wicket-taking tally. In fact, he has been the best death bowler in the tournament as of now, having taken 3 wickets at an outstanding strike rate of just 4.00 from overs 16-20. Overall, he has five wickets at a bowling SR of 9.6. The 29-year-old has ironed out Arshdeep Singh’s ordinary form for PBKS.
