table of contents
Virat Kohli gets a new role: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed his IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament, and he has picked players who dominated the season with match-winning performances. Their team includes some explosive batsmen, reliable all-rounders and some of the most successful bowlers of the tournament.
Ashwin has the most players in his 2026 Team of the Tournament Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who won IPL 2026, have named Shubman Gill as their captain despite a heart-breaking defeat to Gujarat Titans in the final in Ahmedabad on May 31.
Ravichandran Ashwin reveals his IPL 2026 tournament squad
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin chose Rajasthan Royals teenage player Vaibhav Suryavanshi as his opening batsman. The youngster finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 776 runs in 16 matches at an impressive strike rate of over 237 and earned the MVP award.
Also read: “Didn’t perform well enough”: Sanjay Manjrekar makes bold claim for IPL captaincy; Supporting foreign stars instead of Indian names
Shubman Gill, who enjoyed another stellar season for Gujarat Titans as both a batsman and captain, joins Vaibhav as Ashwin’s opening pair. Gill scored 732 runs at an average of almost 46 and a strike rate of 163.02 and was made the captain of Ashwin’s team.
Despite brilliant performance as an opening batsman, Virat Kohli slipped to number 3
It was a shocking decision, as Virat Kohli also dominated the 2026 season as an opening batsman for RCB and played a key role in RCB’s historic title win, as Virat Kohli scored 675 runs at an impressive average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84. Despite this, Ashwin replaced Virat Kohli at number 3.
Ashwin’s middle order is also explosive. He picked Sunrisers Hyderabad’s dangerous batsman Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 624 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 160, and RCB captain Rajat Patidar, who led the team with more than 500 runs at a blistering strike rate of 192.69, at the fourth and fifth positions respectively in his IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament.
Nitish, Krunal, Overton and Narine add all-round firepower
Nitish Kumar Reddy has also got a place in Ashwin’s team. The young all-rounder contributed over 300 runs and 8 wickets in 14 matches in SRH’s playoff qualification and the former Indian all-rounder picked Reddy to strike excellent balance in his team.
RCB’s star all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who scored 226 runs in 16 matches and took 14 wickets this season, was selected at number seven. Well, Ashwin’s bowling attack is full of proven match-winners. England all-rounder Jamie Overton made his place for Chennai Super Kings after taking 14 wickets in 10 matches at an average of less than 18 and an economy rate of 8.89.
Also Read: Anil Kumble reveals India’s XI vs AFG Test match; Former Purple Cap winner left out
Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Sunil Narine continued his remarkable IPL consistency, taking 15 wickets at an average of 22.60 while maintaining a stellar economy rate of 6.64 and was also selected by Cricket Pundits for the squad in their IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament.
Kagiso Rabada will lead Ashwin’s bowling attack
Kagiso Rabada, who was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2026 with 29 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 21.58, leads Ashwin’s fast bowling attack, and he will share the responsibility of the new ball with RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who enjoyed a dream season with 28 wickets in 16 matches at an average of just under 18 and an economy rate of 7.95.
Ashwin chose Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Joffra Archer as his influential player. The England fast bowler took 25 wickets in 16 matches and provided consistent successes for RR.
R Ashwin’s IPL 2026 team of the tournament:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Heinrich Klaasen, Rajat Patidar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Krunal Pandya, Jamie Overton, Sunil Narine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada.
Impact Player: jofra archer