IPL teams — squad cards, role balance, and the captain candidate list per franchise.
Player11 tracks every IPL franchise's squad across the 2026 season. Each team card shows the playing eleven, the captain candidate list, and the role balance across the season.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK's 2026 squad is built around Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top, with a death-overs bowling unit stacked around Pathirana, Jadeja, and a returning Chahar. The captain candidate list is short: Gaikwad is the front-runner, with Dhoni as a sentimental second pick.
Mumbai Indians
MI's squad reads as a pace attack with a top-order batting unit. Hardik Pandya holds the captain badge, with Rohit Sharma as the leadership voice in the dressing room. Player11's captain read on MI matches depends on the toss — Rohit's ceiling is high, but Hardik's all-rounder profile carries the safer floor.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB's 2026 squad has been rebuilt around Kohli, Patidar, and an overseas top-order. The captain badge usually sits with Kohli on slow wickets, but the franchise has rotated the leadership voice at least twice in the past 18 months.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR's 2026 squad revolves around an aggressive top-order, a spin-heavy bowling unit, and a captain candidate list that opens up after the auction. Player11's reads on KKR matches treat the Eden Gardens as a slow turner and weight the spin picks accordingly.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH's 2026 squad mixes overseas batting firepower with Indian seam depth. The captain candidate list reads as Cummins-first, with Markram as a strong second pick on dry tracks. The team's strategy is built around a high strike rate in the powerplay.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals' 2026 squad has been reshaped around KL Rahul at the top, a pace attack led by Bumrah, and an all-rounder rotation that Axar Patel steers. The captain read usually sits with Rahul, with Pant as a second pick in head-to-head formats.
Punjab Kings
PBKS's 2026 squad has cycled through leadership voices. The current captain pick is Shreyas Iyer on most matchups. Player11 reads PBKS matches as a slow-start batting lineup that needs an early-over captain to swing the read.
Rajasthan Royals
RR's 2026 squad revolves around Sanju Samson with a young all-rounder bench. The captain read usually lands on Samson, with Hetmyer as a high-ceiling differential against spin-friendly tracks.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans' 2026 squad reads as a balanced bowling attack with a top-order built around Sudharsan and a pace-heavy lower order. The captain pick is usually Shubman Gill.
Lucknow Super Giants
LSG's 2026 squad has been rebuilt around a young Indian core. The captain candidate list is the longest in the league — Rishabh Pant is the front-runner on most matchups.
FAQ — Teams
How often does each squad change? IPL squads rotate via the impact-player rule between every match. Player11's desk updates the squad card after every fixture.
Where can I read about a specific team? Each franchise has a dedicated team page on Player11 — links are in the editorial column of the desk.
Reading the leadership voices
Each IPL franchise carries a leadership voice — the captain on the field and the head coach in the dugout. Player11 tracks both. The captain voice matters for the fantasy read because it determines who carries the captain badge and how the bowling rotation is structured. The head-coach voice matters because it determines the impact-player substitution patterns and the death-overs strategy.
Reading the impact-player rotation
The impact-player rotation is the second-biggest fantasy signal on each squad. The first signal is the captain voice; the second is the impact-player rotation. Most franchises rotate one overseas impact-player substitution per match, and the rotation pattern is predictable after three matches in a season. Player11 tracks each franchise's rotation pattern and publishes it on the team page.
Reading the captain candidate list
The captain candidate list for each franchise reads as the two or three players who could realistically carry the captain badge. The list updates based on form, fixture, and the franchise's leadership voice. Player11 publishes the list on each team page and refreshes it weekly.
The captain candidate list is not a captain pick. The list is a starting point for the read. Pick the player on the list whose form, fixture, and toss read align with the desk's captain matrix.