Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has picked the best playing XII of IPL 2026 after the conclusion of the 19th edition of the tournament. Surprisingly, there was no place for Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who both scored more than 700 runs in the season.
Chopra picked Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Virat Kohli as the two openers. Kohli scored a total of 675 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, whereas Suryavanshi bagged the Orange Cap, scoring 776 runs in 16 games at a blistering strike rate of 237.30.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi, that’s the name over which there are no discussions or doubts. The Orange Cap is sitting on his head. Most fours was the only award he didn’t get, or else he brought a huge bag, with an excess baggage allowance, and left with all the awards. If you see who all suddenly started running fast, he is the root cause of that,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Along with him, Virat Kohli. You might wonder why Virat Kohli should be there. He is not the highest run-scorer even amongst the openers, but the performance in the final is priceless. He performed in Qualifier 1 and the final. This guy’s ability to absorb pressure is unparalleled. Everyone else shows their weaknesses somewhere or other,” he added
The renowned commentator picked Ishan Khan at one drop ahead of Devdutt Padikkal. The SRH wicket-keeper scored 602 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 182.42.
“Ishan Kishan is at No. 3. I thought about Devdutt Padikkal, but Ishan Kishan has been outstanding. He is my wicketkeeper and my vice-captain as well because he did really well for as long as he captained the SunRisers Hyderabad,” the former India opener observed.
Chopra picked RCB skipper Rajat Patidar at number four. Patidar scored 501 runs in 14 innings and played with an aggressive approach in the middle overs.
“At No. 4, Rajat Patidar has to be that guy, and he only will be the captain because there is no better captain than him at this point in time. He has included his name in the legends’ list,” he added.
The former Delhi cricketer backed Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy to bat at number five and six, respectively. Klaasen scored 604 runs in 15 matches, whereas Reddy scored 302 runs in 13 innings. Reddy also bagged eight wickets in 14 matches.
“After that, at No. 5, I have got Heinrich Klaasen. This team can’t be made without Heinrich Klaasen. He was outstanding, the way he batted. He was about to become the only middle-order batter in the tournament’s 19-year history to win the Orange Cap, but he also couldn’t,” Chopra stated.
“After that, his partner Nitish Kumar Reddy. He is our all-rounder. He is the only all-rounder who has performed very well in this tournament. Hardik Pandya’s season was very cold, or else you would have expected him to push the bar a little bit, and Cameron Green’s tournament was also okay, okay,” he added.
Chopra picked Krunal Pandya as the spin-bowling all-rounder in the team. Pandya picked 14 wickets in 15 innings, whereas he also scored 226 runs in nine innings.
“Since you need a proper batter at No. 7, why not Krunal Pandya? He has done the crisis man’s job repeatedly. He has performed well both in bowling and batting. It’s a slight travesty that this guy didn’t get a single Player of the Match award in the entire tournament,” he elaborated.
The cricket analyst backed Sunil Narine ahead of Rashid Khan as the specialist spinner in the team. Narine bagged 15 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.64.
“At No. 8, I had a toss-up, whether to go towards Sunil Narine or Rashid Khan. I can keep only one spinner. I am going with Sunil Narine. Rashid Khan has been brilliant. He has picked up a lot of wickets, but he had a few matches in patches that weren’t good. I don’t remember a patch for Sunil Narine where he conceded runs or didn’t bowl effectively,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer backed Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer as the three pacers in the team. Rabada picked 29 wickets, whereas Kumar and Archer scalped 28 and 25 wickets respectively.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No. 9. There is no doubt about that. You will keep Bhuvi in your team for sure. I think he was the best bowler as well, even though the Purple Cap might not be on his head, because the one who has the Purple Cap on his head also had the Ahmedabad advantage,” Chopra observed.
“At No. 10, the one who has the Purple Cap on his head – Kagiso Rabada. The one thing that stood out this season was that he didn’t bowl slower ones. At No. 11, I have got Jofra Archer. You can send him up the order as well. The Rajasthan Royals collapsed the day he didn’t perform well,” he noted.
Chopra picked Rasikh Salam Dar as the 12th player in his team. Dar scalped 19 wickets in 12 matches and played a key role for RCB
“I was wondering who to keep at No. 12. I had three options. One is Anshul Kamboj, who has picked up a lot of wickets. The second is Sakib Hussain, who has a huge amount of upside and was very impressive. The third is Rasikh Salam Dar. I am split. Sakib Hussain is outstanding, but why not Rasikh Salam Dar? He was the highest wicket-taker in the uncapped category, and he had a hand in winning the tournament,” Chopra elaborated.
