Experienced leg spinner and IPL veteran Amit Mishra have shared their early predictions for the 2026 season, notably ruling out the five-time champions as their top contenders. Speaking on a recent episode of MensXP’s YouTube podcast, the former Indian international identified five teams that he believes will dominate the upcoming season following a high-stakes mini-auction in Abu Dhabi that saw several franchises make changes to their rosters.
Amit Mishra selected semi-finalists for IPL 2026
During the candid discussion, Mishra was asked to pick the teams with the most chances of reaching the playoffs for the 19th edition of the league. Without hesitation, he narrowed the field down to five elite franchises, citing their recent team depth and strategic acquisitions. Mishra went along Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)And Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)He also added Gujarat Titans (GT) For list.
“KKR, MI, SRH, RCB and GT. I think four of these five will reach the playoffs.” Mishra said during the podcast.
Mishra’s predictions appear to be influenced by the aggressive recruitment strategies seen in the recent auctions. KKR acquired Australian star cameron green For a record ₹25.20 crore, indicating a massive turnaround in their middle-order strength. That’s what RCB brought Venkatesh Iyer To strengthen their local origins. SRH has strengthened its team even more liam livingstoneMI focused on ‘homecoming’ and sustainability, they brought back quinton de kock For just ₹1 crore—a grand steal—to become a partner Rohit Sharma,
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No place for Chennai Super Kings in Mishra’s prediction
Although Mishra did not explicitly explain why he left out the five-time champions, his comments come at a time when CSK has undergone a significant ‘youth makeover’. Mishra ignoring CSK is probably due to his high-risk strategy. while they landed sanju samson In a blockbuster trade, they lost cornerstone players Ravindra Jadeja And Sam Curran To Rajasthan Royals. CSK spent ₹28.40 crore on just two uncapped players: Prashant Veer And Karthik SharmaAnalysts argue that giving Mathisha Pathirana Move over KKR, CSK have a huge void in death bowling that hasn’t been fully addressed by the new signings matt henry,
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