IPL 2026: Five Indian players who could earn T20I call-up after standout season

The Indian Premier League is a lot of things to many people. But at the end of the day, it is a platform for India cricket team">India cricket team">India cricket team">India cricket team">India’s cricketers to showcase their talent and make the jump to the senior team.

The system in place in the IPL is now so well developed, it has turned into a guaranteed pathway to the senior national team. And by the looks of it, the process is working brilliantly, with India winning the last three ICC tournaments on the bounce – successive T20 World Cup titles and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

India recently defended their T20 world title but given the short shelf life in the format and regular churn, expecting the current Indian T20 team to retain its composition for the next set of international assignments would be foolhardy.

Many members of the current Indian T20 team – like captain Suryakumar Yadav, opener Abhishek Sharma and middle order bat Tilak Varma – have been suffering from indifferent form for some time.

Even on the bowling front, no one apart from Jasprit Bumrah has inspired a lot of confidence at the international or franchise level. That means a handful of positions will be up for grabs when the Indian team picks its next T20 squad.

Below we take a look at the players who have impressed in the IPL and should be considered for the national set-up.

Shubman Gill

Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill en route his century in the Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals in New Chandigarh last week. 

Then India’s T20 vice-captain not making the T20 World Cup squad due to poor form was a massive talking point. But the right-hander responded in style, scoring consistently and averaging 45.75 in 16 games (732 runs), including six half-centuries and one century. The opener’s best knock of the season came in the high-pressure Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals, where the Gujarat Titans skipper smashed a match-winning 104 off just 53 balls to help GT chase their highest-ever target of 215. The opener struck at 163.03 — his best strike-rate in any IPL season — and will definitely make the selectors think before announcing the squad for the Ireland and England T20Is.

Matches: 16

Runs: 732 

Avg: 45.75

SR: 163.03

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not been a part of the Men in Blue’s playing XI since November 2022, but the stage is seems to be set for the right-arm pacer to force his way back into the side, thanks to a masterclass of a season in which he finished with 28 wickets — the second most in the tournament — in 16 games, and helped RCB defend their title successfully. The 36-year-old was instrumental throughout RCB’s campaign, claiming three or more wickets as many as six times. He has most definitely  knocked extremely hard on the selectors’ doors after delivering a match-winning 2-29 in the final against GT.

Matches: 16

Wickets: 28

Economy: 7.95

Avg: 17.89

Best: 4-20 

KL Rahul

KL Rahul was seen in a revamped T20 avatar this season. The Delhi Capitals’s opening batter, who last played a T20I for India in November 2022, completely reinvented his scoring template, smashing 593 runs in 14 games. The right-handed batter also showed he can be trusted by playing a long T20 innings, scoring a historic 152 not out against PBKS. His strike-rate — an IPL career-best 174.41 — was another major talking point. The wicketkeeper-batter’s explosive power-hitting this season (31 sixes) will definitely make the selectors rethink his place in the T20I squad.

Matches: 14

Runs: 593 

Avg: 45.62

SR: 174.41

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has definitely used this IPL to prove his worth after being left out of India’s T20I playing XI for almost two and a half years. As a middle-order batter, he has absolutely dominated against spin. The right-hander has accumulated 498 runs at an impressive average of 55.33. Four of Iyer’s five half-centuries and one century have come in Punjab Kings’s successive run chases, proving that he possesses the ability and fearless approach required to pull his side out of pressure situations.

Matches: 16

Runs: 498 

Avg: 55.33

SR: 168.81

Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya has quietly put himself in contention for a T20I comeback after last having played for India in July 2021. RCB’s spin-bowling all-rounder enjoyed a highly impactful season with both the ball and bat. His match-winning performance of 43 off 28 balls and 2-16 in just 3.3 overs proved vital in the team’s Qualifier 1 win over GT. Overall, the 34-year-old chipped in with 226 runs at an impressive average of 37.67 and claimed 14 wickets in 16 games. He has shown selectors that he possesses the big-match temperament and the all-rounder ability to make a difference.

Matches: 16

Runs: 226 

Avg: 37.67

SR: 145.81

Wickets: 14

Economy: 8.42