Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has given early prediction as to which teams will make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs ahead of the start of the league. The tournament is scheduled to begin from March 28 onwards, with defending champions RCB set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru. Chopra has snubbed five-time champions CSK and a consistent GT, and instead has backed MI, RCB, DC and PBKS to make it to the playoffs.

Chopra picks teams which will make it to IPL 2026 playoffs

In a video uploaded by Crex on social media platform X, Chopra noted that while it was too early to pick which teams would make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs, he chose PBKS, MI, RCB and DC as the final 4. When asked about who will lift the trophy this year, he remarked ‘whoever plays well’ before going on to state that a new winner in the form of DC. PBKS, RCB and MI finished in the top four in IPL 2025, with Punjab Kings going on to play the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru where they lost by 6 runs. DC, on the other hand, started off the tournament on a good note but choked in the latter half, hence missing out on a playoffs spot narrowly.