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RCB on top: Which team has the strongest overseas player pool post IPL 2026 auction?



Rating each team's overseas players' pool. [Source - ipl/X]Rating each team's overseas players' pool. [Source - ipl/X]

With the IPL 2026 auction concluded ahead of the league’s 19th season next year, all ten franchises have locked in their overseas contingents. Here is a collective look at how each team’s international pool shapes up after the IPL 2026 auction.

10. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

LSG have finalized 7 of their 8 allowed overseas players, with 4 retained from last season and 3 new additions from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of LSG for IPL 2026

Wicket-keepersBattersAll-RoundersBowlers
Rishabh PantAiden Markram✈️Abdul SamadMayank Yadav
Nicholas Pooran✈️ Himmat SinghAyush BadoniAvesh Khan
Mukul Choudhary*Akshat Raghuwanshi*Mitch Marsh✈️Arjun Tendulkar
Matthew Breetzke✈️

Shahbaz Ahmed
Mohammed Shami
Josh Inglis*✈️

Arshin Kulkarni
Anrich Nortje*✈️

W Hasaranga*✈️
Mohsin Khan



Naman Tiwari*


Digvesh Rathi

Prince Yadav

Akash Singh
Manimaran Siddharth

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

LSG’s overseas pool possess 

  • batting heavyweights through Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Josh Inglis and Matthew Breetzke, covering aggression and consistency.
  • all-round department boosted by Wanindu Hasaranga, offering wicket-taking leg-spin and lower-order batting.
  • express pace option in Anrich Nortje, who gives LSG a point of difference in the fast-bowling attack.

Possible concerns:

LSG major concerns are

  • overseas batting unit which is heavily skewed towards batters who are best suited for top-4 in t20s.
  • lack of proven pace-hitting depth for the lower order 
  • also lack of complete pace-bowling superstar capable of dominating across all phases.

Overall take:

LSG have assembled an explosive overseas batting group, but role overlap at the top and gaps in lower-order power and all-phase pace bowling limit overall balance, making their international pool feels slightly one-dimensional. Rating: 6/10.

9. Mumbai Indians (MI)

MI have finalized all 8 of their allowed overseas players, with 7 retained from last season and 1 new addition from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of MI for IPL 2026

Wicket-keepersBattersAll-RoundersBowlers
Quinton de Kock*✈️Rohit SharmaHardik PandyaJasprit Bumrah
Ryan Rickelton✈️Suryakumar YadavNaman Dhir
Trent Boult✈️
Robin MinzS Rutherford✈️Mitchell Santner✈️Deepak Chahar
Danish Malewar*
Raj Angad Bawa
Mayank Markande

Tilak VarmaAtharva Ankolekar*
Ashwani Kumar


Mayank Rawat*
Raghu Sharma

Corbin Bosch✈️
Mohammad Izhar*

Will Jacks✈️Allah Ghazandar✈️

Shardul Thakur

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

Mumbai Indians’s overseas pool has

  • middle-order batting firepower from Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks, both against pace and spin.
  • proven top-order combination in place with Quinton de Kock, backed up by the reliable Ryan Rickelton.
  • new-ball attack is led by Trent Boult, with Corbin Bosch adding variety and useful lower-order batting.
  • spin balance which is covered through Allah Ghazanfar and Mitchell Santner.

Possible concerns:

MI lack 

  • elite overseas finishers they previously relied on, such as Kieron Pollard or Tim David.
  • a proven high express pace option.
  • a more potent all-rounder instead of Will Jacks which could have improved balance.

Overall take:

MI have assembled a solid and flexible overseas group with strength at the top, variety in bowling and depth in spin. However, the absence of a dominant all-round finisher and genuine express pace slightly limits their ceiling compared to past MI squads. Rating: 6.5/10.

8. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings have finalized their overseas lineup, with all 8 allowed players from which 4 were retained from last season and 4 are newly added from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of CSK for IPL 2026

Wicketkeepers
Batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
MS DhoniRuturaj GaikwadShivam DubeNoor Ahmad✈️
Urvil PatelAyush MhatreJamie Overton ✈️Khaleel Ahmed
Sanju SamsonDewald Brevis✈️Ramkrishna GhoshMukesh Choudhary
Kartik Sharma*Sarfaraz Khan*Anshul Kamboj Shreyas Gopal
Prashant Veer*Nathan Ellis✈️
Matthew Short*✈️Gurjapneet Singh
Aman Khan*
Akeal Hosein*✈️
Zakary Foulkes*✈️Matt Henry*✈️
Rahul Chahar*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

CSK foreign recruitment has

  • pace hitting firepower in Matthew Short who offers top-order backup and part-time spin.
  • middle order power hitting lead in Dewald Brevis with his explosiveness, fitting well alongside a core of Indian batters.
  • all-round depth comes from Akeal Hosein as spin AR, followed by Jamie Overton and Zak Foulkes, both providing seam-bowling options and lower-order batting value.
  • bowling attack is well covered with Noor Ahmad leading the spin unit and Nathan Ellis spearheading the pace attack, supported by Matt Henry’s experience and form.

Possible concerns:

CSK lacks

  • an out-and-out high-pace enforcer, a role previously filled by Matheesha Pathirana, with no proven like-for-like backup for Nathan Ellis.
  • a potent pace-bowling all-rounder in the overseas pool, with profiles like Sam Curran released and Cameron Green missed at the auction.
  • a reliable top-order backup, and a stronger pace-hitting option down the order like Liam Livingstone.

Overall take:

CSK have built an international pool focused more on balance and utility than star power, with clear roles in spin, middle-overs pace and all-round depth. However, they would have liked better profiles in the mentioned roles. Rating: 7/10.

7. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

SRH have finalized all 8 of their allowed overseas players, with 6 retained from last season and 2 new additions from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of SRH for IPL 2026

Wicket-keeper
Batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Heinrich Klaasen✈️
Travis Head✈️
Brydon Carse✈️Pat Cummins✈️
Ishan KishanSmaran Ravichandran
Kamindu Mendis✈️
Harshal Patel
Salil Arora*Aniket Verma
Harsh Dubey
Jaydev Unadkat

Nitish Kumar Reddy
Zeeshan Ansari

Abhishek SharmaEshan Malinga✈️

Shivang Kumar*Sakib Hussain*
Jack Edwards*✈️
Onkar Tarmale*
Liam Livingstone*✈️Amit Kumar*

Praful Hinge*
Shivam Mavi*
Krains Fuletra*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

SRH’s overseas group’s

  • batting is a major strength, led by Travis Head’s explosiveness at the top, Heinrich Klaasen’s dominance in the middle, and Liam Livingstone adding elite power down the order.
  • all-round depth is well covered through Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins and Brydon Carse, each offering multi-skill value along with lower-order hitting.
  • pace attack has solid coverage, with Cummins and Carse capable of operating across phases, while Eshan Malinga adds variety.

Possible concerns:

SRH’s international pool lacks

  • a truly superior T20 pace bowling specialist with elite variations, particularly for death-overs control.
  • like-for-like overseas backups for key batters in Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen.

Overall take:

Sunrisers Hyderabad boast one of the most powerful overseas batting cores in the league, complemented by genuine all-round depth and reliable pace options. However, the absence of an elite T20 bowling specialist and limited batting backups slightly reduce flexibility. Rating: 7.5/10.

6. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

KKR have completed their overseas lineup, with all 8 allowed players from which 2 retained from last season and 6 are newly added from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of KKR for IPL 2026

Wicket-keepersBattersAll-RoundersBowlers
Finn Allen*✈️Rinku Singh
Sunil Narine✈️
Varun Chakravarthy
Tejasveer*Singh
Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Ramandeep SinghHarshit Rana
Tim Seifert*✈️Ajinkya Rahane
Rovman Powell✈️
Vaibhav Arora
Manish Pandey
Anukul RoyUmran Malik
Rahul Tripathi*Cameron Green*✈️Matheesha Pathirana* ✈️

Daksh Kamra*Kartik Tyagi*
Rachin Ravindra*✈️Mustafizur Rahman*✈️
Sarthak Ranjan*Akash Deep*
Prashant Solanki*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

KKR’s overseas pool starts with 

  • top order power and stability, led by aggressive big hitters like Finn Allen, complemented by consistency of Tim Seifert and the all-round class of Rachin Ravindra.
  • All-round value comes through their latest addition in Cameron Green’s top-order brilliance and pace bowling, complemented by Sunil Narine’s proven spin and batting firepower.
  • finishing role is well covered by Rovman Powell, a proven pace hitter towards the end. 
  • pace attack looks formidable, with Matheesha Pathirana offering elite middle and death-overs control, backed by Mustafizur Rahman.

Possible concerns:

KKR might have

  • over-invested on top-order overseas batters, and a middle-order left-hander like Cooper Connolly could have provided better balance.
  • liked a more of all phase pacer which has not been acquired as well with profiles such as Matt Henry or Jacob Duffy.

Overall take:

Kolkata Knight Riders possess a powerful and versatile international core, covering explosive starts, middle-overs control and death-overs execution effectively with both bat and ball. While there is room for better role distribution, the overall overseas group looks good. Rating: 8/10.

5. Punjab Kings (PBKS) 

Punjab Kings have finalized all 8 of their allowed overseas players, with 6 retained from last season and 2 new additions from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of PBKS for IPL 2026

Wicket-keepers
Batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Prabhsimran Singh Shreyas IyerShashank Singh
Arshdeep Singh
Vishnu VinodNehal WadheraMarcus Stoinis✈️Yuzvendra Chahal
Harnoor Pannu Azmatullah Omarzai✈️Harpreet Brar
Priyansh AryaSuryansh Shedge Vijaykumar Vyshak
Musheer Khan Cooper Connolly*✈️ Yash Thakur
Pyla AvinashMitch Owen✈️ Marco Jansen✈️

Lockie Ferguson✈️
Xavier Bartlett✈️
Ben Dwarshuis*✈️
Vishal Nishad*
Pravin Dubey*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

Punjab Kings’ foreign players features

  • elite batting, powered by Marcus Stoinis, who brings proven lower-order pace hitting, with Cooper Connolly adding reliability and left-handed balance in the middle order.
  • all-round depth through Marco Jansen, Mitch Owen and Azmatullah Omarzai
  • pace attack with all-phase coverage, led by Marco Jansen, supported by Xavier Bartlett, with Ben Dwarshuis adding left-arm variety.

Possible concerns:

PBKS could have 

  • had strengthened the top order with an overseas wicketkeeper capable of injecting more aggression early in the game.
  • had a middle order option more proven for IPL-level.

Overall take:

Punjab Kings have built a well-balanced international pool with power, depth and a strong pace-bowling core. While the absence of an aggressive keeper-batter and a proven middle-order finisher leaves slight gaps. Rating: 8/10.

4. Gujarat Titans (GT)

GT have finalized 6 of their 8 allowed overseas players, with 3 retained from last season and 3 new additions from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of GT for IPL 2026

Wicket-keepers
Batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Kumar KushagraShubman GillNishant SindhuKagiso Rabada ✈️
Anuj RawatSai SudharsanWashington SundarMohammed Siraj
Jos Buttler✈️Arshad KhanPrasidh Krishna
Tom Banton*✈️Rahul TewatiaIshant Sharma
Shahrukh KhanGurnoor Singh Brar
Jason Holder*✈️Rashid Khan ✈️
Manav Suthar
Sai Kishore
Jayant Yadav
Ashok Sharma*
Prithvi Raj Yarra*
Luke Wood*✈️

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

Gujarat Titans international options is built

  • around genuine superstars, with Jos Buttler providing elite batting firepower at the top and Kagiso Rabada leading the pace attack
  • The bowling unit has further quality through Rashid Khan, with his leg spin capable of winning the match with ease. 
  • All-round balance is addressed with the addition of Jason Holder, who brings experience, seam-bowling depth and lower-order hitting.

Possible concerns:

GT’s overseas pool lacks

  • in backups, with Tom Banton not offering the same level of assurance as a like-for-like replacement for Jos Buttler.
  • batting firepower in the middle alongside Glenn Phillips to strengthen finishing depth.

Overall take:

Gujarat Titans possess match-winners in both batting and bowling, anchored by Buttler, Rabada and Rashid Khan. While the lack of strong overseas backups and limited middle-order power reduce flexibility. Rating: 8/10.

3. Rajasthan Royals (RR)

RR have finalized all 8 of their allowed overseas players, with 7 retained from last season and 1 new addition from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of RR for IPL 2026

Wicketkeepers
Batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Dhruv JurelYashasvi JaiswalRavindra Jadeja Nandre Burger✈️
Lhuan-dre Pretorius✈️Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sam Curran✈️Sandeep Sharma
Shimron Hetmyer✈️Donovan Ferreira✈️
Jofra Archer✈️
Shubham DubeyRiyan ParagTushar Deshpande
Ravi Singh*

Kwena Maphaka✈️
Aman Rao*
Yudhvir Singh
Sushant Mishra*
Ravi Bishnoi*
Yash Raj Punja*
Vignesh Puthur*
Kuldeep Sen*
Adam Milne*✈️
Brijesh Sharma*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

Rajasthan Royals’ international firepower exists with

  • overseas batting unit with exciting aggression at the top through Lhuan-dre Pretorius, followed by proven middle-order power from Shimron Hetmyer and Donovan Ferreira
  • all-round balance is boosted by Sam Curran, who offers batting value along with dependable all-phase bowling.
  • pace attack carrying a star power and variety, led by Jofra Archer as the headline fast bowler, supported by left-arm options in Nandre Burger and the highly talented Kwena Maphaka.

Possible concerns:

RR could have

  • got a better like-for-like overseas pace-bowling backups instead of Adam Milne.
  • added a proven T20 specialist bowler for the death overs. 

Overall take:

This RR’s international pool offers exciting top-order aggression, proven middle-order power and genuine fast-bowling quality. However, the lack of reliable overseas backups and the absence of a specialist T20 death bowler remains a concern. Rating: 8/10. 

2. Delhi Capitals (DC)

DC have finalized all 8 of their allowed overseas players, with 3 retained from last season and 5 new additions from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full squad of DC for IPL 2026


Wicket-keepersBattersAll-RoundersBowlers
KL RahulAbishek PorelAxar PatelKuldeep Yadav
Ben Duckett*✈️Ashutosh SharmaVipraj NigamMitchell Starc✈️
Sameer RizviMadhav TiwariMukesh Kumar
Tristan Stubbs✈️Tripurana VijayDushmantha Chameera✈️
Karun NairAjay MandalT Natarajan
Nitish RanaAuqib Nabi*
David Miller*✈️
Lungisani Ngidi*✈️
Pathum Nissanka*✈️
Kyle Jamieson*✈️
Sahil Parakh*
Prithvi Shaw*

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

DC’s overseas options have

  • batting depth, with Ben Duckett and Pathum Nissanka covering the top order, followed by proven firepower from Tristan Stubbs and David Miller through the middle and lower order.
  • pace attack, headlined by a superstar profile in Mitchell Starc for all phases.
  • bowling depth strengthened by Kyle Jamieson, and Lungi Ngidi, providing control and experience in different conditions.

Possible concerns:

DC would have liked 

  • a potent pace-bowling all-rounder who can also contribute impactful lower-order hitting.

Overall take:

Delhi Capitals boast one of the most imposing overseas batting groups in the league, complemented by a high-quality pace attack led by Mitchell Starc. While the absence of a seam-bowling all-round finisher slightly affects balance. Rating: 8.5/10.

1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

RCB have completed their overseas lineup, with all 8 players allowed in total where 6 were retained earlier and 2 have been added from the IPL 2026 auction. Here is a closer look at their international pool.

Full Squad of RCB for IPL 2026

Wicket-keeperBattersBowlersAll-rounders
Jitesh SharmaVirat KohliAbhinandan SinghKrunal Pandya
Phil Salt ✈️Rajat PatidarBhuvneshwar KumarRomario Shepherd ✈️
Jordan Cox*✈️Devdutt PadikkalRasikh Salam DarSatvik Deswal*
Venkatesh Iyer*
Josh Hazlewood ✈️Mangesh Yadav*
Jacob Bethell ✈️Suyash SharmaVicky Ostwal*
Tim David ✈️Swapnil Singh
Kanishk Chouhan*
Vihaan Malhotra*
Yash Dayal

Nuwan Thushara ✈️
Jacob Duffy* ✈️

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction.

What looks strong:

RCB have a well-rounded international core, starting with

  • an aggressive opener in Phil Salt, already proven at the top, with Jacob Bethell providing a reliable top-order backup and future-ready option.
  • finishing is strengthened by overseas firepower, with Tim David and Romario Shepherd providing brute force, while Jordan Cox adds another pace-hitting option from the auction.
  • overseas pace attack looks elite, headlined by Josh Hazlewood. He is backed up by the current No.1 T20I pacer Jacob Duffy, while Nuwan Thushara adds more variety.

Possible concerns:

The gaps are

  • the lack of a proven death-overs specialist like Matheesha Pathirana in RCB’s international pool, with auction budget limitations likely stopping RCB from filling that slot.
  • a more experienced top-three backup than Jacob Bethell could have strengthened RCB’s overseas options.

Overall take:

RCB have covered key bases with their international signings featuring powerful top-order, explosive finishers, and a high-quality pace attack. While a premium overseas death specialist could have made them stronger, the balance and depth make this one of the league’s strongest international pools. Rating: 9/10.