TOI's IPL team of the season: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi-Virat Kohli on top; Rajat Patidar appointed captain

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar (BCCI/IPL Photo) IPL-2026 was a season of extremes. A 15-year-old rewrote batting records like they were practice drills, Virat Kohli discovered new gear at 37 and Rajat Patidar joined the exclusive club of captains with back-to-back titles. The batsmen routinely made a total of 200-plus look inadequate, but a handful of bowlers continued to find ways to dominate in an increasingly ruthless format. Here is TOI’s Team of the Tournament capturing the defining stories and performances.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)Inns: 16 | Raids: 776 | SR: 237.30 | Avg: 48.50 | 1×100/5×50 There was barely a debate. The 15-year-old prodigy didn’t just top the batting charts; circled the field. By the end of the season, he had scored 44 more points than anyone else, with a staggering 237.30 success rate, and had crossed the ropes 29 times more than his nearest rival. The numbers alone were outrageous. The shift behind them was even better. IPL-2026 belonged to him, whether judged by volume, impact or sheer audacity.Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Inns: 16 | Raids: 675 | SR: 165.84 | Avg: 56.25 | 1×100/5×50At one end of the spectrum stood a teenager who redefined possibility. On the other was a legend that proves that reinvention has no age limit. The numbers were vintage – over 600 runs for the fourth straight season. However, this approach was anything but vintage. Due to his rough hitting in Qualifier 1 and Final, he narrowly beat Shubman Gill for the opening slot.Ishan Kishan (week) (Sunrisers Hyderabad)Inn: 15 | Raids: 602 | SR: 182.42 | Avg: 40.13 | 6×50 | Tue/Wed: 9/1Best IPL season for a wicketkeeper. It was defined not only by the weight of runs he scored, but by when he chose to score them. Six fifties graced his season, but more importantly, they came when SRH needed them the most. He finished among the most influential batsmen of the tournament.Rajat Patidar (c) (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Inn: 15 | Number of rides: 501 | SR: 192.69 | Avg: 41.75 | 5×50After leading RCB to their second consecutive IPL title, he found himself in elite company alongside MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only captain to successfully defend the trophy. He was explosive with the bat. Only Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma have hit more sixes than him and among players who have crossed 500 runs, only the explosive duo have scored faster.Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad)Inn: 15 | Raids: 624 | SR: 160.00 | Avg: 48.00 | 6×50They achieved something unprecedented in IPL-2026: more than 600 runs from the middle order, which no batsman in a major T20 tournament has done before when batting outside the top three. He crossed the 30-run mark in 11 of his 15 innings and often shouldered the burden of holding SRH’s middle order.Nitish Kumar Reddy (Sunrisers Hyderabad)Mat: 14 | Number of rides: 302 | SR: 171.59 | Avg: 30.20 | Week: 8 | Econ: 10.41The place at the finish line was occupied by the all-rounder of SRH. While his strike rate sat marginally behind the likes of Donovan Ferreira and Tim David, what stood out was how often he made the difference. Almost every other inning was a meaningful cameo. His contribution with the ball was equally valuable.Krunal Pandya (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Mat: 16 | Number of rides: 226 | SR: 145.80 | Avg: 37.66 | Week: 14 | Econ: 8.41Not so much the numbers, but his season was built on timely hits. Whenever he was asked to step up, he seemed to find a way. His rate of economy reflected control. In a star-studded team, he made a quiet appearance whenever RCB needed to do something.Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)Mats: 13 | Week: 15 | Econ: 6.64 | Avg: 22.60 | SR: 20.4In a season where the bowlers often felt like supporting actors in the batting spectacle, the KKR legend remained one of the few no-hitters in the park. While teams scored nearly 10 runs per over across the competition, Narine’s economy stood at a remarkable 6.64. He conceded five runs under the run-a-ball in 13 spells.Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)Mats: 16 | Week: 25 | Econ: 9.31 | Avg: 22.36 | SR: 14.4He finished with 11 more wickets than any other Rajasthani bowler and led the charge for most of the campaign. His impact was felt early. He picked up 14 Powerplay wickets, making him one of the most dangerous new-ball operators in the IPL.Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)Mats: 16 | Week: 28 | Econ: 7.95 | Avg: 17.89 | SR: 13.5Few players have enjoyed the full circle IPL journey like him. He took 17 wickets in an over of seven runs and more and added nine more at the death. More importantly, he delivered in the biggest moments. The years may have passed, but his knack for deciding big matches remains intact.Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans)Mats: 17 | Week: 29 | Econ: 9.68 | Avg: 21.58 | SR: 13.3He dominated the first six overs, picking up 20 wickets with the new ball and giving Gujarat Titans a decisive advantage. Alongside Mohammed Siraj, he formed a devastating opening combination that played a central role in GT’s run to the final. He won the Purple Cap this season, becoming the fourth bowler after Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dwayne Bravo and Harshal Patel to win it multiple times.

Was IPL-2026 primarily a batting season?