The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League is set to start on March 28 in Bengaluru with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Ahead of the season’s
opener, which is scheduled to take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has made his predictions for the top four teams of IPL 2026. According to Chopra, who played in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders before donning the hat of an expert and commentator, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, RCB and Punjab Kings can qualify for the playoffs.
MI, RCB and PBKS qualified for the IPL playoffs last year as well, along with Gujarat Titans, but DC missed out despite a strong start in the tournament under Axar Patel’s leadership.
When asked about which team will lift the IPL trophy this year, Chopra said, “Whoever plays well. I don’t know, a new winner I am thinking may be Delhi (Capitals).”
Presenting the RAPID FIRE ROUND with Aakash Chopra ft. IPL 2026#SanjuSamson #IPL2026 #RCBvsSRH #CricketMatlabCREX pic.twitter.com/6WqOisdUM1
— CREX (@Crex_live) March 15, 2026
Chopra also made his predictions for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap winners in IPL 2026, and he mentioned Sanju Samson’s and Jasprit Bumrah’s names.
Samson, who won the Player Of The Tournament award in the T20 World Cup 2026, will play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026. The Chennai-based franchise signed him in a trade deal from the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2026 auction last year. In IPL 2026, the Kerala-based cricketer in all likelihood will open the innings with Aayush Mhatre or Urvil Patel for CSK, and there will be high expectations from him.
Bumrah, on the other hand, will lead Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack in the world’s richest franchise cricket league this year. Bumrah, who is arguably the greatest Indian fast bowler of all time, has 183 wickets to his name in 145 IPL matches played so far. But he has never managed to win the Purple Cap. He played 12 matches for MI in IPL 2025 and accounted for the dismissal of 18 batters, whereas in the 2024 edition he finished with 20 wickets in 13 games.
