IPL 2026 | Decoding the strengths and shortcomings of the Final Four

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Strengths: The defending champion has an all-round squad packed with match-winners. Virat Kohli’s returns, particularly successful the lack of Phil Salt, bespeak that helium is arsenic bare arsenic ever to sensation success. The beingness of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya — each top-quality bowlers who person been determination and done that — is simply a boon.

Weaknesses: Four of RCB’s five defeats came distant from home, a stark opposition to the spotless tally it had in IPL 2025. The Rajat Patidar-led outfit has enactment to bash successful a signifier wherever it mightiness extremity up playing astatine 3 venues successful six days. Despite scoring a half-century connected his comeback — against Sunrisers Hyderabad connected Friday — the skipper has not reached his maximum imaginable yet.

Gujarat Titans

Strengths: In a format wherever runs are the ascendant currency, the 2022 title-winner boasts of a bankable apical 3 (skipper Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler) that is well-equipped to radiance crossed conditions. The gait battery, led by Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, is arsenic potent and affluent successful depth.

Weaknesses: The middle-order batters, barring Washington Sundar, person not been up to the people — nary but the India all-rounder person adjacent crossed the 100-run hurdle for the season. The Gujarat broadside is yet to successfully pursuit down 200 oregon much this campaign, truthful however prepared it is for a imaginable script remains to beryllium seen.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Strengths: SRH has the wherewithal to support the scoreboard ticking contempt setbacks, with Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan being the conductors of the orchestra. Having infused young humor into the bowling onslaught — Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge and Shivang Kumar among others — the Hyderabad outfit has the assortment to stifle rival batters.

Weaknesses: While the newcomers person delivered the goods frankincense far, the bowling portion is abbreviated connected experience. Apart from skipper Pat Cummins, nary bowler successful the probable playing XII has consistently experienced the rigours of knockout cricket.

Rajasthan Royals

Strengths: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi! The 15-year-old pouch dynamite has shown maturity beyond his property astatine a clip erstwhile his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been astatine his best.

Speedster Jofra Archer, the team’s onslaught bowler, is backmost successful his constituent aft a breathtaking spell successful the do-or-die fixture against Mumbai Indians.

Weaknesses: The middle-order batters person seldom fired successful unison, and it could partially beryllium down to the shuffling of unit during the archetypal round. With pb tweaker Ravindra Jadeja only precocious returning to the tract and the different pedigreed dilatory bowler, Ravi Bishnoi, retired of enactment since the opening of the month, the rotation section is inactive a concern.