Former Chennai Super Kings batter S Badrinath has named his preferred XI from the IPL 2026 league phase, with the spotlight falling on two notable absentees: Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Even though both batters amassed over 550 runs during the league stage, Badrinath did not include either of them in his final team selection. In total, nine of his 12 picks come from the four franchises that advanced to the playoffs.
Badrinath’s IPL 2026 league-stage XI
- For the top order, Badrinath chose the opening combination of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shubman Gill.
- He slotted Sai Sudharsan at number three.
- He named Heinrich Klaasen at number four.
- Rajat Patidar was selected as the wicket-batting option at number five.
- In the all-round department, Krunal Pandya and Sunil Narine were included.
- For the spin-bowling role, Badrinath picked Rashid Khan after the leg-spinner finished with 19 wickets for Gujarat Titans.
- For the pace attack, Badrinath added Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer, and Kagiso Rabada.
- He left the remaining fast-bowling spot open between Kartik Tyagi and Prince Yadav.
- As the Impact Sub, he turned to CSK spinner Akeal Hosein.
While Badrinath’s squad reflects individual league-stage output, the playoffs are now about momentum and match-ups. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will enter Qualifier 1 carrying the calm assurance of having defended champions status as they face Gujarat Titans in a high-stakes contest at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday.
The prize for the winner is direct passage to the title match in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The side that loses, meanwhile, will have to navigate the longer route through the next playoff game to earn a spot in the final.
Both teams finished the league phase with 18 points from 14 matches. RCB topped the table on net run rate, a reward for consistent performances across the entire league window. That consistency looked especially convincing after RCB chased 206 against GT in their home conditions on April 24, when the Shubman Gill-led group still sat in the middle of the standings rather than leading the race.
From that stage onward, Gujarat Titans have climbed steadily, evolving into the competition’s standout bowling side and moving into contention for a second IPL title. Their challenge, though, is an RCB side that currently has several advantages lined up: captain Rajat Patidar is in rhythm, and the batting group also includes Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, and Tim David.
RCB’s rise has been supported by reliable new-ball returns from the pairing of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while Krunal Pandya has contributed through disciplined spellwork that has helped keep scoring rates in check. On the other side, GT’s late-season surge has been driven largely by bowling impact: Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna have taken charge early, while Rashid Khan and Jason Holder have managed the middle overs with controlled, low-drama dominance.
S Badrinath’s IPL 2026 league-stage picks: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Heinrich Klaasen, Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Sunil Narine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer, Kagiso Rabada, and either Prince Yadav or Kartik Tyagi (Impact Sub: Akeal Hosein).
