IPL 2026: How the fab four emerged on top

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru is at the forefront with an impressively balanced lineup, driven by the experience of its star players.(photo/NA)

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU (Table toppers, 18 points)Strengths: Balanced side with a perfect blend of raw and vintage. Virat Kohli’s (557 runs, strike rate: 164) paranormal game awareness and finishing skills remains better than most.

Pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Purple Cap holder, 24 wkts), and to a lesser extent, Josh Hazlewood, are RCB’s bowling brahmastra, especially in PowerPlays.

Each 35 or more of age, the trio underline that age is just a number. Others who made notable difference: batter Devdutt Padikkal, crafty allrounder Krunal Pandya and the reinvigorated Venkatesh Iyer.Worries: Captain Rajat Patidar’s batting blows hot and cold.

Two Englishmen, Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell, have underperformed. Bowling thin on spin.Last five games: LWWWLPrognosis: Title favourites, as per most British bookmakers.

GUJARAT TITANS (No. 2, also 18 points)Strengths: Organised unit skippered by Shubman Gill. GT developed a winning rhythm after an indifferent start of 3 wins in the first 7 games. Openers Sai Sudharsan (638, IPL 2026’s highest run getter) and Gill (616, no 2) are a consistent and effective pair.

Keeper-batter Jos Buttler rediscovering his best at no 3. Real potency lies in balanced and penetrative attack. GT is the only team with three bowlers – Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan and Mohd Siraj — in the top 10 wickettakers list of IPL 2026.

Late entrant Jason Holder adds depth to both batting and bowling.Worries: High number of dropped catches. Lacks middle-order muscle.Last five games: WWWLWPrognosis: Will relish home advantage, if it reaches the final.SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (No. 3, also 18 points)Strengths: Strong upper body, backed by a young bowling spine. Three of the top seven rungetters are from SRH: enforcer opener Abhishek Sharma (563 runs, strike rate: 206) , Ishan Kishan (569, sr: 178) and Heinrich Klaasen (606, sr: 159). Allrounder Nitish Reddy has delivered in key moments. Pace quartet Eshan Malinga (19 wkts), Sakib Hussain (15), Praful Hinge (11) and the midway arrival of captain Pat Cummins make SRH a potent pace bowling side.Worries: Among the worst catching sides this year. Subpar form of destroyer Travis Head. Below par spin options.Last five games: LWLWWPrognosis: Can beat any team on their day. RAJASTHAN ROYALS (No. 4, 16 points)Strengths: 100% win record in first four games helped compensate for lows that followed. Serial six-hitter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, his opening partner and fellow southpaw Yashasvi Jaiswal and keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel make a great 1,2,3. But the rest didn’t match up. In bowling, speed express Jofra Archer is the only consistent wicket-taker. His allround show was the difference in the decisive last game.Weakness: Indifferent form of captain Riyan Parag. Lacks overall batting and bowling depthLast five games: LLLWWPrognosis: RR seem to have found a second wind in the last two games. But do they have the consistency to win 3 games in a row?