The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been dominated by the batters in the last few seasons, with 2026 also following the same trend. A plethora of players had outstanding campaigns with the bat, mesmerising crowds all over the country. 

Amongst all the amazing performances, it is a difficult exercise to list down the 10 best batters in this year’s IPL. The list does not include the 10 highest run-scorers in the tournament, but it includes the players who had the most impact on their respective sides through the runs they scored over the two-month tournament. 

Here are the 10 best batters in IPL 2026: 

10. Sanju Samson – Chennai Super Kings

The 2026 season was Sanju Samson’s first donning the iconic yellow jersey in the IPL, and the wicketkeeper-batter did not disappoint. The 31-year-old ended the campaign as CSK’s leading run-scorer, with 477 runs at an average of 43.36 whilst striking at 165.62. Samson was the only player to hit two centuries in the season, with his 115 not out against the Delhi Capitals being the highlight. 

9. Mitchell Marsh – Lucknow Super Giants

Mitchell Marsh’s outstanding form with the bat stood out in an otherwise struggling LSG outfit that finished at the foot of the standings. The Australian batter scored 563 at a strike rate of 163.18 to be one of the few shining lights for the Super Giants. This was Marsh’s second consecutive 550-run season in the IPL, after hitting 627 runs in the previous year. 

8. KL Rahul – Delhi Capitals

KL Rahul once again had an excellent season for the Capitals whilst opening the batting. The Indian international scored 593 runs at a strike-rate of 174.41, the highest in his IPL career. His standout innings came against the Punjab Kings, where he scored an unbeaten 152, now the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the league. However, DC ended that game on the losing side after PBKS chased down 265.

7. Rajat Patidar – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Rajat Patidar’s most important contribution remains captaining RCB to their second consecutive title in 2026. The right-handed batter, however, still had a 500-run season, where he struck at 192.69, whilst averaging close to 42. His best innings came against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, where he hit an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls to guide his side into the showpiece final in Ahmedabad.

6. Sai Sudharsan – Gujarat Titans

Sai Sudharsan is the definition of consistency in the IPL. This was the second season in a row where he scored more than 700 runs for the Titans. The left-handed batter ended up as the tournament’s third-highest run-getter in 2026 at 722 at a strike-rate of 157.98. He scored a century against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, but his team ended up on the losing side.

5. Abhishek Sharma – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Abhishek Sharma continued with his attacking style in IPL 2026, scoring at a strike-rate of 204.72, the fourth-highest in the season. He scored 563 runs from 15 matches, which included an unbeaten 135 against the Delhi Capitals, coming off just 68 balls. The left-hander hit 43 sixes in the season, which was the second-highest after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s tally of 72.

4. Ishan Kishan – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ishan Kishan carried his outstanding form from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy into the IPL, having hit 602 runs, the most he has scored in a single season of the tournament. His strike-rate was also amongst the best, hitting at 182.42 whilst averaging 40.13, the highest since IPL 2021, where he averaged 57.33 for the Mumbai Indians.

3. Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans

Shubman Gill has been the Titans’ talisman ever since the franchise was founded in 2022. India’s ODI and Test skipper ended the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, with 732 runs to his name, whilst striking at 163.02. He was also excellent as the captain, taking GT to only their second IPL final.

2. Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

No list of best batters is complete without Virat Kohli. The 37-year-old once again had an amazing IPL campaign, ending up with 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and a strike-rate of 165.84, the highest in his illustrious IPL career. His best innings was without doubt in the final against GT, where he scored an unbeaten 75 off 42 deliveries to take his side across the finishing line even though he was struggling with a hamstring injury.

1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – Rajasthan Royals

Arguably one of the greatest batting seasons in the history of the IPL, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 2026 campaign will be remembered for a very long time. The 15-year-old won the Orange Cap, scoring 776 at an unbelievable strike rate of 237.30. He also broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of most sixes in a season, with 72. The left-handed batter scored one century and three scores in the 90s in his last four innings of the season. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) enjoyed a strong campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, finishing third in the league stage and securing a place in the playoffs. However, their journey came to an abrupt end after a defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. While SRH were competitive across most departments, there are still a few areas that require attention if they are to take the next step and challenge for the title in IPL 2027.

Here are three changes SRH should do ahead of IPL 2027:

Invest in experienced bowlers and finishers

SRH possess an exciting crop of young talent, particularly in their bowling attack. Players such as Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Harsh Dubey, and Shivang Kumar showed promise throughout the season. However, the burden of leading the attack largely rested on captain Pat Cummins, especially during pressure situations.

Adding one or two experienced bowlers could significantly strengthen the squad. Veteran campaigners not only provide stability in crunch moments but also help in nurturing young talents. The same applies to the finishing department. While Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, and Smaran Ravichandran contributed in patches, SRH lacked a proven finisher capable of consistently closing out games. An experienced lower-order batter could provide the balance and composure needed in high-pressure chases.

Build a strong bowling core

Although SRH’s bowling unit had quality, the depth in the department remains a concern. The team relied heavily on its first-choice attack, and the backup options did not always inspire confidence. Bowlers such as Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Dilshan Madushanka, and Gerald Coetzee were available, but the franchise still lacked a well-established bowling core with reliable backup options.

Successful IPL teams often build a bowling group that can deliver consistently over multiple seasons. SRH should focus on strengthening their reserves and creating healthy competition within the squad to ensure sustained success.

Add more right-handed balance to the batting line-up

One of SRH’s biggest strengths is their explosive top order, featuring Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma. However, the presence of multiple left-handed batters at the top can sometimes make it easier for opposition teams to plan their bowling strategies.

Introducing a right-handed batter into the top order could improve balance and create more tactical challenges for opponents. With Nitish Kumar Reddy capable of slotting in at No. 4, SRH can look to add a right-handed batter higher up the order to maintain flexibility and improve match-ups. A more balanced batting unit could prove crucial in helping SRH turn playoff appearances into championship-winning campaigns.

Expectations were sky-high from Punjab Kings heading into Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 after a complete roster revamp under coach Ricky Ponting and new captain Shreyas Iyer, but the season ended in an underwhelming fashion. 

Despite spending 22 days at the top of the table after a roaring start, a shocking six-game losing streak saw PBKS finish fifth and narrowly miss the playoffs. To bounce back strongly and finally cross the top-four hurdle in IPL 2027, the franchise must address their middle-season collapses and establish a more consistent blueprint.

Here are the three changes PBKS should make ahead of IPL 2027:

3) Strengthen the bowling line-up 

The IPL 2025 finalists will be looking to bounce back after a disastrous season at the end of their 2026 IPL campaign. The first thing they will look to improve is strengthening their bowling line-up. There is a famous saying in cricket – Batters win you games, bowlers win you championships, and this is where PBKS suffered in IPL 2026. It was a bad outing for their bowlers as they conceded 200+ runs seven out of their 14 league games in this year’s IPL. 

Not one bowler from PBKS line-up managed to find a spot in top-10 wicket takers of IPL 2026. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was their highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets to his name. If they want to come back to winning ways in next year’s edition, the Shreyas Iyer-led side will need to improve with the ball.

2) Revamp the middle-order

In PBKS batting department, it was mostly about their openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. The duo had yet another memorable IPL campaign, with Arya scoring 364 runs, while Prabhsimran scored 510. Apart from them and Cooper Connolly, no one from their line-up stood out in the middle-order barring their captain Shreyas Iyer, who also scored 498 runs.

In most of the matches, it was Iyer who took on the responsibility with the bat to take his side over the line. But the other batters in PBKS line-up failed to step up. If they want to have a good and consistent season, they will have to improve immensely in the middle-overs. 

1) Focus on finishing well with the bat 

Not just the middle-order, the last overs of the innings also had become a problem for the Punjab-based franchise. The presence of Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis as designated finishers looked good on paper, but the case was different on the field. The Aussie all-rounder showed glimpses of form in a few matches, but was not consistent enough.

Shashank, on the other hand, had a horrid tournament, both as batter as well as fielder. The right-hander scored just 132 runs in 12 matches. The only saving grace was youngster Suryansh Shedge, who smashed 158 runs with a strike rate of 175.55 in seven matches. If they want to improve next year, PBKS has to step-up in the finishing department.