New Delhi, April 3 – Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has made an early prediction of the four teams that could make it into the playoffs of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, after watching the first round matches, where every franchise played at least one match.
The former Delhi Capitals mentor believes that Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS) could face each other in the playoffs. He also added that unexpected player injuries could change these standings.
"Having watched the first round of matches in the IPL this season, based on my observations, these four teams could be the top contenders: MI, DC, RR, and PUNJAB. However, this could all change with injuries, etc., but that's how I see it at the moment," Pietersen wrote on X.
The biggest surprise on his playoff list is the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who started their campaign with a dominant win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). According to Pietersen, RCB's middle order performance and Hazelwood's fitness are the main reasons why they are not considered top contenders.
"My concern with RCB is their performance in the middle overs and with their spinners. And Hazelwood's fitness. Remember – bowlers win you championships," he wrote on X.
Pietersen also feels that no target is safe in this season after seeing RCB and Mumbai Indians easily chase totals of over 200. According to him, the toss has become very important.
"The interesting thing about this season is that batters don't know how aggressive to be in the first innings. What's a good score? Can you actually win most of your games batting first by averaging it out?
"The toss is as important as your team!" he added.
According to the 45-year-old, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and 2016 title winners Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) need to do something extraordinary and bring massive changes to be title contenders.
"Something would have to change massively for me to consider CSK/SRH/KKR as title contenders," he wrote in another post on X.
Meanwhile, after six matches, Rajasthan Royals are at the top of the points table with a massive net run rate of 4.171, while RCB is in second place. Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians also have two points after winning their opening matches. Hyderabad also opened their account after defeating KKR in their second match.
