IPL 2026: How the wheels came off for PBKS, KKR, DC, CSK, MI and LSG

PUNJAB KINGS: (15 points): The hare who took the lead, then collapsed midway. Captain Shreyas Iyer ’s squad started with six wins and a no-result. Then shockingly lost the next six. Prabhsimran Singh (510 runs, strike rate 169), captain Shreyas Iyer and young gun Cooper Connolly were top batters. But nobody could turn the tide when the sea got rough.

Key problem: bowling wasn’t good enough. No PBKS bowler figures in the leaderboard top 15.


KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (13 points): The unluckiest to be eliminated. KKR were the comeback kings of this edition. After earning just one point from their first six games, captain Ajinkya Rahane ’s side roared back into contention winning six of the next seven. Sadly, it wasn’t enough. Bowling, not batting, was key to their revival. After all these years, nobody yet has a clue about Sunil Narine , the most miserly spinner (6.6) in IPL.





DC has only one batter in the top 20 leaderboard: KL Rahul (no 4, 593 runs) . Bowling lacked bite, until Mitchell Starc’s late entry. For some teams, the more things change, the more they remain the same.


CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (12 points): Seemed directionless. Failed to produce a single standout performer with bat or ball. The future, though, holds hope. Batter Kartik Sharma and paceman Anshul Kamboj promise to get bigger and better. But CSK needs to start afresh, perhaps with a new captain, Sanju Samson. Must resolve the Dhoni situation too.


MUMBAI INDIANS (8 points): Won only two of the first nine games to fall way behind. No late winning momentum this time. Packed with Team India stars who fell to earth, notably MI skipper Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Exception: Tilak Varma.


Even foreign recruits – Will Jacks, Trent Boult, Sherfane Rutherford – largely disappointed. The five-time champions need a reset.


LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS (8 points): The squad, with a high profile coaching staff, came last — flopping even at home. Top batting order, especially Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram, were major letdowns. Mitch Marsh found form after the horse had bolted. Skipper Rishabh Pant looked woefully short of form and confidence.

Gains: Mukul Choudhary, who won the game against KKR, and Prince Yadav , an encouraging addition to pacers’ pool. But LSG must go back to the drawing board. Thank God, there’s no relegation in the IPL.