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The fifth week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 saw a change in trend. The pitches are getting worn out, which has resulted in several low-scoring encounters. From April 27 to May 3, we saw a sub-100, two sub-160, and two sub-170 games. Unlike last week, 250 wasn’t breached even once.
As a result, we didn’t see many batters score big runs. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) finally lost a match in IPL 2026. In fact, each of the top four teams lost games. The Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) continue to move in the right direction as the playoffs race intensifies.
IPL 2026 Team of the Week (April 27 to May 3)
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Impact SubLefty punch at the top
Travis Head’s entire run count is 137, and Ryan Rickelton scored 123 in one single innings. He made more runs than most did in the entire week. Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Priyansh Arya struck fast, but none batted long enough. Head hadn’t been in form and went on to hit back-to-back fifties. As for Rickelton, he followed his hundred up with a 37-run knock, but MI once again lost.
KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal were the options at number three. The former has played as an opener, but he has the ability to bat at any position from one to six. He’ll be the impact player, and Padikkal, who has reinvented himself, will bat at three, a position he has made his own for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Image Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool via AlamyRR’s dominant middle-order
The middle order’s role is no longer setting the game up. They need to hit from ball one. Much like Head, Riyan Parag found his form as well. He paced his innings incredibly well and found boundaries at will when needed. Donovon Ferreira and Suryansh Shedge gave the ending required. The former performed when the platform was set, while the latter pulled his team out of the hole.
RCB’s dangerous spinner & pacer
Jason Holder’s entry in GT’s team has been a revelation. He has elongated the batting and worked well in the middle overs with his bounce and variations. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the best bowler in IPL 2026 and showed that in RCB’s last two games, taking 3-fers. He wasn’t just unplayable in the powerplay but has nailed his lines and lengths in the middle and death overs, reinventing himself at the age of 36.
Image Credit: SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Live NewsAnshul Kamboj was a great powerplay bowler last IPL season. This year, he’s started to nail yorkers in the death while maintaining his powerplay success. He’s the purple cap holder at the moment and might end with the most wickets in IPL 2026. The two spinners will be Varun Chakaravarthy, who has found his lines again, and Suyash Sharma, who doesn’t have more wickets than Yuzvendra Chahal but has been tough to hit.
The post No Sooryavanshi or Kohli, Riyan Parag to captain IPL 2026 team of the week (April 27 to May 3) appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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