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With the start of the IPL 2026 round the corner, members of CricketNext have made their predictions for the finalists, highest run scorers, wicket-takers, and more.
CricketNext predictions for IPL 2026. (Picture Credit: X/@KKRiders, PTI)
The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on March 28 and five-time champions Mumbai Indians will face Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the second game on Sunday, March 29, in Mumbai. The 19th season of IPL, overall will feature 10 teams and they will compete against each other in 74 matches which will be played from March 28 to May 31 across 13 venues in India to win the top prize.
The 19th season of the IPL will feature 10 teams competing in 74 matches, which will be played from March 28 to May 31 across 13 venues in India, all battling for the ultimate prize.
Most teams have retained their top performers from last season, while several exciting new additions have also been made, including Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Tim Seifert and Auqib Nabi Dar, along with many uncapped Indian players. Some of these youngsters have even secured bumper deals in the IPL 2026 auction.
The buzz around IPL 2026 is already dominating headlines in the CNN-News18 CricketNext newsroom, and the members of the CricketNext team have also joined the excitement. Ahead of the start of the tournament, they have shared their predictions for IPL 2026.
Here’s the prediction of CricketNext’s team for IPL 2026:
FEROZ KHAN
- Champions: Mumbai Indians
- Runner’s up: Punjab Kings
- Top 4: MI, PBKS, RCB, DC
- 10th finish: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Most runs: Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)
- Most sixes: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)
- Most wickets: Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians)
- Most 50+ scores: Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Mangesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
RITAYAN BASU
- Champions: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Runner’s up: Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Top 4: KKR, SRH, RCB, CSK
- 10th finish: Lucknow Super Giants
- Most runs: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Most sixes: Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
- Most wickets: Varun Chakaravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Most 50+ scores: Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Varun Chakaravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Kolkata Knight Riders)
HARSHIT BISHT
- Champions: Mumbai Indians
- Runner’s up: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Top 4: MI, RCB, PBKS, CSK
- 10th finish: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Most runs: KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals)
- Most sixes: Finn Allen (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Most wickets: Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings)
- Most 50+ scores: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Matheesha Pathirana (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Auqib Nabi (Delhi Capitals)
RUDRANSH KHURANA
- Champions: Punjab Kings
- Runner’s up: RCB
- Top 4: PBKS, RCB, KKR, DC
- 10th finish: Lucknow Super Giants
- Most runs: Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings)
- Most sixes: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)
- Most wickets: Kuldeep Yadav (Delhi Capitals)
- Most 50+ scores: KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Smaran Ravichandran (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
MEGHA MALLICK
- Champions: Punjab Kings
- Runner’s up: Mumbai Indians
- Top 4: PBKS, MI, GT, SRH
- 10th finish: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Most runs: Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)
- Most sixes: Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings)
- Most wickets: Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians)
- Most 50+ scores: Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Ashok Sharma (Gujarat Titans)
SIDDARTH SRIRAM
- Champions: Gujarat Titans
- Runner’s up: Mumbai Indians
- Top 4: GT, MI, KKR, RCB
- 10th finish: Lucknow Super Giants
- Most runs: Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals)
- Most sixes: Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
- Most wickets: Varun Chakaravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Most 50+ scores: Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans)
- MVP/Player of the Tournament: Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans)
- Biggest Flop (Player): Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Emerging Player (Debutant, Indian): Ayush Mhatre (Chennai Super Kings)
March 27, 2026, 20:45 IST
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