IPL 2026: Power Rankings - Episode 1

We are looking at strength of schedule, injuries and form to make up a list of the best and worst teams.

Welcome to the way too early power rankings where we try to make sense of the early games. It’s not a points table, it’s a vibes table. This is where we look at strength of schedule, injuries and form to make up a list of the best and worst teams, in roughly that order.

1. RCB (W v SRH, W v CSK)

Last week: They bowled well against SRH, and then batted even better. They smashed the living daylights out of CSK. Two home games, but they look fantastic so far.

Hot: Runs, so many runs. Five guys currently have a top score of more than 45, and four of them are striking at better than 170. They’re looking lovely right now.

Cool: As they line up, the fifth bowler still worries me a little. But, so does almost every team in the league.

Next: @ RR (Apr 10), @ MI (Apr 12, night game)

Road ahead: On form, they have two tough games coming up, both on the road against RR and MI. We will get a better idea of them then. They’ve had two soft ones so far.

2. DC (W @ LSG, W v MI)

Last week: They are two from two. The LSG win was wild after they lost early wickets. Mumbai they played well on a wicket that suited them. I rated them high coming in, but they’re looking good right now.

Hot: Sameer Rizvi is the king of the catch-up innings so far. Twice he’s been the impact sub who has come in cold, and ended hot. I also like that their home wicket completely suited their bowling.

Cool: They are losing a few too many early wickets. But it’s nitpicking.

Next: v GT (Apr 8), @CSK (Apr 11, night game)

Road ahead: They play two games against teams not firing yet, so they might hit the RCB match with four wins on the trot.

3. MI (W v KKR, L @ DC)

Last week: The strongest team of this tournament on paper played pretty well against KKR, although not sure why it took them until the last over. But DC shook them on a tricky wicket where they made no runs.

Hot: The opening partnership looks fun. High intent Rohit Sharma with a Ryan Rickleton who can bat for ages now. I like the pairing a lot.

Cool: They haven’t quite assembled themselves correctly yet. Hardik’s injury in the last game was an issue, Santner was not available for the first, and Boult was dropped for the next one. It’s all a bit over the shop. Markande has three overs in two games for 36 runs.

Next: @ RR (Apr 7), v RCB (Apr 12, night game)

Road ahead: Some of this may depend on Hardik being fit, because these are two good teams. Maybe winning their first game has jinxed them. But they could end up as 2-2 after four.

4. PBKS (W v GT, W @ CSK)

Last Week: Two from two, baby. I liked them coming in. First game was a weird chase, but they had the game in control. Second match was against CSK, so on present form not that impressive. But it’s a great start.

Hot: Yuzi Chahal’s renaissance? He’s looked really good so far at the very least. Marco Jansen has bowled well too, as has Vyshak. If they can get something out of Arshdeep, this is a fantastic attack.

Cool: Their batting has not quite come together yet. Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly have saved them. I’m not sure this looks like a team who can regularly hit 220.

Next: @ KKR (Apr 6), v SRH (Apr 11, afternoon game)

Road ahead: KKR are a mess and SRH are not firing either. So this feels like a good time to play both. 4-0 after two road games is good. But this is the softest part of their schedule.

5. RR (W v CSK, W @ GT)

Last week: RR beat an ordinary CSK at home, and then it was a bit of a weird game against GT. They won and lost that match several times. A bit of a coin toss match.

Hot: Ravi Bishnoi had a down year last season. He took 9 wickets in 11 games, he now has five in two. But even in the first one he looked like he was putting good revs on the ball at a faster speed.

Cool: Their bowling is currently doing better than on paper. Not a negative now, but worth watching.

Next: v MI (Apr 7), v RCB (Apr 10), @ SRH (Apr 13)

Road ahead: If they are really good, we will know a lot more in the next two games. Two of the best teams in the tournament - at home though - should give us a good idea. Even splitting those games with SRH to follow means they should be annoyed if they aren’t 4-1.