The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is well underway after a gripping second-week, which included a lot more closely contested matches with teams settling into the campaign. After the end of the first phase of the campaign, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have made a massive early statement by remaining unbeaten.
However, for decorated teams like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the second week ended up being an extension of the opening set of fixtures as they failed to get off the mark.
Much like the first week, the second week of IPL 2026 also boasted predominantly high-scoring games, with the 200-run mark being casually breached on multiple occasions. Naturally, the matches ended up being a platform for players to step up, and step up they did.
On that note, let us take a look at the Team of the Week 2 of IPL 2026 (Matches from April 4 until the PBKS vs SRH match are being considered).
#1 Top Order: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel
Teenag sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi carried the early burst of momentum from the first week to end all claims of second season blues creeping in. The RR opener struck an impactful cameo against the Mumbai Indians (MI), and scored a match-winning 78 against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He has arguably played the biggest role in the team’s unbeaten run so far, and had yet another stellar week.
KL Rahul had begun the IPL 2026 in shaky fashion, with two low scores resulting from rather unlucky dismissals. However, the opening batter showcased what he can do when he is at his best by setting up the run chase for DC against GT at home. Attempting to chase down a 211-run target, he scored 92 runs off 52 balls. Although his sublime knock ended in vain, it remains one of best batting performances of the week.
Dhruv Jurel seamlessly settled into the No.3 role, scoring two fifties in the space of three matches. The wicket-keeper scored a 45-ball 72 and a 43-ball 81 against GT and RCB, respectively to be in the Orange Cap race in the early stages of the campaign.
#2 Middle Order: Rajat Patdiar, Heinrich Klaasen, Tim David, Mukul Choudhary
Rajat Patidar showed his range, adaptability, and versatility through his two knocks in Week 2 of IPL 2026. Against CSK, he was at his destructive best, scoring an unbeaten 19-ball 48. In RCB’s very next match, he was stranded on the non-striker’s end, witnessing a batting collapse and as a result, played through various gears to end with a captain’s knock of 63 runs off 40 deliveries.
The overseas pair of Tim David and Heinrich Klaasen starred for their respective sides with the bat in the middle-order in Week 2. The Australian showed brute force to score a stunning 25-ball 70 that completely rattled CSK. The wicket-keeper batter, on the other hand, resuced SRH from 26-4 with a sublime half-century and forging a crucial partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Possibly one of the stars of Week 2, Mukul Choudhary announced himself into the IPL in the most flashy way possible. The youngster single-handedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against KKR at the Eden Gardens with his six-hitting exhibition. Stranded in the death overs with no recognised batter at the other end, he took it upon himself to defy odds and complete the run chase with his unbeaten 27-ball 54, which included seven stunning sixes.
#3 Lower Order: Jofra Archer, Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan, Ravi Bishnoi
Jofra Archer’s bowling figures in Week 2 might not be extraordinary by any means, but they do not reflect how he has delivered, especially with the new ball for RR. The Englishman has been a nightmare for the new-ball batters as he dismissed the likes of Ryan Rickelton and Phil Salt early to give RR the much needed burst at the start. Clocking regularly around the 145 kmph, batters have found it hard to negotiate the sheer pace and movement, and have found themselves lucky courtesy of misfields and streaky boundaries.
Mohammad Shami was the standout pacer in Week 2 in the IPL 2026. His slower ball masterclass against his former team SRH, left the explosive top order reeling. He registered astonishing figures of 2-9 off four overs to earn the player of the match award. The veteran seamer followed it up with a tight spell in his home ground, the Eden Gardens, against KKR.
The wrist spin duo Ravi Bishnoi and Rashid Khan, who had forgettable 2025 campaigns, have made a resounding start to the 2026 season, including a memorable Week 2. The Indian spinner holds the Purple Cap with nine wickets already, while his Afghanistan counterpart is third on the list currently.
Ravi Bishnoi picked up four wickets in the clash against GT, and even castled Virat Kohli in his most recent outing. Rashid Khan, on the other hand, earned the player of the match award for his spell of 3-17 in the high-scoring contest against DC.
Impact Sub: Tushar Deshpande
With only two frontline pacers in the playing XI, and no genuine all-rounders in the side, RR’s Tushar Deshpande comes across as a solid impact player option, especially after his recent heroics. The right-arm pacer produced a death overs masterclass by conceding only four runs in the final over to give RR a six-run win over GT away from home.
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Edited by Gokul Nair
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