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We’ve entered the last week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 league stage. After low-scoring encounters in the two prior weeks, we saw a return of runs. In only one game did we see the 180-mark not get crossed. In fact, the 250-mark almost got breached after the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) historic chase of 265 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 25.
As a result, many batters scored big runs. But PBKS’ match-losing continues, as they’ve now lost 6 on the trot. Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have qualified for the IPL 2026 Playoffs. The Gujarat Titans’ (GT) 5-match winning streak was broken by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and 7 teams are contesting for the three other spots in the top four.
IPL 2026 team of the week (May 11 to 17)
Team of the Week | InsideSport.IN
Batters
1
Finn Allen
2
3
4
5
6
All-Rounders & Bowlers
7
8
9
10
11
Impact Sub
Impact SubKohli & Allen to open
Mitchell Marsh is unlucky to miss out after his 90-run knock against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, due to overseas restrictions and Virat Kohli’s brilliance, including an unbeaten hundred in a chase and a fifty that confirmed RCB’s qualification for the playoffs, Marsh has to miss out. Returning to Kohli, we saw his vintage best after he bagged consecutive ducks. Some might say his strike rate isn’t great, but Kohli played the situation in both games. His scores after the powerplay were 30 (14) and 24 (15), which highlight his understanding that maximisation of the powerplay is essential.
KKR’s Finn Allen and Angkrish Raghuvanshi will occupy the other top three spots. Allen’s 93 off 35 was the best innings of the week. He scored 2.5 runs per ball in the two matches he played. He might be the most destructive powerplay batter at the moment. As for Raghuvanshi, he’s anchored KKR exceptionally well. His job has been to consolidate and elongate the innings to ensure the hitters can go boom from the get-go. In this process, he managed to strike at 170 and was dismissed once.
Axar Patel’s batting form returns
Axar Patel had scored 44 runs in 8 innings until May 8. In the next two matches, he’s tripled his run count. With no chance of playoffs qualification, the DC captain opened up and has played authoritative knocks, guiding Delhi to victory. Tilak Varma and Riyan Parag will be the other two middle-order batters. Both have one knock each, but it’s the impact they’ve created that has mattered.
Tilak scored 75 off 33 against PBKS and got the Mumbai Indians (MI) over the line from a near-unwinnable position. Meanwhile, Parag returned from an injury and smashed a half-century right away. If one’s talking about impact, one can’t miss Ashutosh Sharma. He scored 18 (5) and 24 (10), coming clutch in two chases for DC.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar on top of his game
The wickets column may not suggest it, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again the best bowler of the week. He got in-form Allen out against KKR and both PBKS openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Bhuvi killed both of these games in the powerplay itself. Mitchell Starc still doesn’t look at his best, but he’s taken wickets, and that’s what matters in T20 cricket. Sunil Narine has done Sunil Narine things, remained frugal and taken a wicket or two, as batters hardly go after him.
But the bowlers who impressed the most are all-rounders: Madhav Tiwari and Azmatullah Omarzai. Neither was in the scheme of things, but they have returned and given a new outlook to their teams. Omarzai has been the most economical bowler, not including Harpreet Brar, for PBKS. As for Tiwari, only Starc has outdone him for wickets, but his economy has made him stand apart.
The post Kohli over Marsh & no Shreyas Iyer or Shubman Gill in IPL 2026 team of the week (May 11 to 17) appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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