 "From Virat Kohli as a first-time defending champion to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's firepower, there's plenty to look forward to in IPL 2026. Image credit: AP/Reuters")
The Indian Premier League, just like any other sporting property, aims to get bigger and better with each passing year. And the world’s biggest and richest T20 league sure has come a long way since its inception in 2008, transforming India into a cricketing superpower and making the BCCI the richest board in the world.
The IPL is set to grow even further in the 19th season, which gets rolling on Saturday, 28 March, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, their home ground.
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The IPL promises to be better for the fans this year and scale heights that have never been touched before. And there are a number of factors that make IPL 19 worth keeping track of this summer.
A historic T20 World Cup triumph
The upcoming IPL, after all, is getting underway less than a month after India’s historic T20 World Cup triumph on home soil, which was achieved with contrasting victories over England and New Zealand in the semi-finals and final respectively. It’s the first time in IPL history that an IPL season is taking place immediately after a T20 World Cup triumph for the Men in Blue, and only the second time after an Indian World Cup victory in any format.
The fourth season had begun just six days after India defeated Sri Lanka to win the 2011 World Cup, also at home. And the season-opening fixture between then-defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders had witnessed record TV ratings at the time, indicating that such an event tends to boost interest in the league rather than lead to a cricketing fatigue.
Will the 300-barrier finally get breached this season?
One of the key talking points at the recent T20 World Cup was whether the Men in Blue would finally breach the 300-barrier or not. Though they could not achieve that feat in the end, they did breach the 250-mark thrice in their last four games – all of them coming in knockout or virtual knock-out matches.
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That trend is expected to spill over to the IPL, where the magical ‘300’ is yet to be achieved by any of the 10 franchises even though the Sunrisers Hyderabad have come close multiple times over the last couple of seasons. The IPL, after all, has witnessed a massive spike in the average scoring rate over the last couple of seasons – going past nine-an-over on an average for the first time ever. And it is highly unlikely that it will be taking a step back after scaling such unprecedented heights.
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View AllKohli’s back, and for the first time, as a defending champion
It’s not just Suryakumar Yadav and his men on whom the spotlight will be shining bright. The iconic trio of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have been part of every IPL season since its inception in 2008, are back for another season with Dhoni still playing for the Chennai Super Kings in his mid-forties.
For the first time in IPL history, however, RCB superstar Kohli will be playing as a defending champion, having finally fulfilled his life-long dream of lifting the IPL trophy with the one franchise he’s been loyal to since the very beginning. Kohli, thus, will be in uncharted territory heading into the 19th season, and it remains to be seen if the tag of ‘defending champion’ has any effect on his performance with the bat or not.
Vaibhav returns home after a wild journey across the world
It’s not just the legends and the T20 World Cup heroes who will be the centre of attention heading into the 2026 Indian Premier League. Let’s also not forget the ‘Emerging Stars’ who had made their presence felt last year and are expected to perform in a similar vein this year.
The most prominent among them – Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – who had turned 15 on the eve of the series opener. Sooryavanshi had been making headlines ever since he became the youngest player in IPL history in November 2024 at the age of 13 after being bought by the Royals for Rs 1.1 crore.
And the southpaw has been on quite the journey since the previous IPL season, racking up one record after another at the U-19 level and starring in India’s U-19 World Cup triumph in Zimbabwe in February with a breathtaking 175 in the final, making him one to watch out for this season.
Will the IPL crown another first-time winner?
The IPL has had two first-time winners in the last four seasons – Gujarat Titans winning it on debut in 2022 and RCB ending an 18-year drought two years later. Will that trend continue in the 19th IPL season?
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Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals also have well-rounded squads with nearly all bases covered, and are among the front-runners for a top-four finish. There is, however, a massive difference between the two when it comes to their leadership group as well as their young brigade.
PBKS and DC are the only two franchises to have been part of every IPL season and are yet to lift the trophy. And going by how they had fared last year, among other factors, one would be wise to put their money on Punjab Kings when asked to bet on the team ending their trophy drought first.
A Bombay Bong with an identity crisis. Passionately follow cricket. Hardcore fan of Team India, the Proteas and junk food. Self-proclaimed shutterbug.