IPL 2026: R Ashwin leaves out CSK from his top four, fourth pick comes as surprise

Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran Indian off-spinner, has revealed his predicted top four teams for the upcoming IPL season, making some interesting choices. Most notably, he omitted his former team, Chennai Super Kings, from his selections. Ashwin's picks were revealed following the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.

Ashwin has placed Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions, at the top of his list. The Hardik Pandya-led team retained its core players during the retention window last month and further strengthened the squad by trading for Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans, Mayank Markande from Kolkata Knight Riders, and Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants.

Mumbai Indians were also active in the auction, acquiring Quinton de Kock for Rs 1 crore. They also picked up Danish Malewar, Mohammed Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar, and Mayank Rawat, each for Rs 30 lakh.

Ashwin's second choice is the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB retained its key players before the auction and added eight new players to their squad. Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 4 crore) and Jacob Duffy (Rs 2 crore) were among their notable acquisitions. RCB secured their first IPL title earlier this year.

Rounding out his top four, Ashwin included Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals as contenders for the remaining playoff spots. It's worth noting that all the teams Ashwin mentioned, except for Rajasthan Royals, reached the playoffs last season. He shared his predictions during an interaction on Mumbai Indians’ official Instagram account.

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, secured Ravi Bishnoi for Rs 7.20 crore at the auction. Before the auction, they had already bolstered their squad by trading for Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, and Donovan Ferreira.

Ashwin specifically praised Mumbai Indians' acquisition of Quinton de Kock, suggesting that the franchise acted decisively while other teams hesitated. He believes MI is trying to recreate the balance of their IPL 2020 title-winning team, even without Ishan Kishan.

"I think the Quinton de Kock buy was a good move. I think the other franchises were sleeping on their haunches, and MI snooped it up. I think MI are not sure about the Rickelton opening combination. I think MI are trying to replicate their IPL 2020 championship squad, only Ishan Kishan is not there,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel.

Despite having a relatively small purse of Rs 2.75 crore, Ashwin believes that Mumbai Indians maximized their resources and significantly strengthened an already strong team. "MI had 2.75 crore, but it was as if they had 27 crore, because they bought so many players. MI already had a winning squad before they went into the IPL auction, and now, after the auction, they look even stronger," he added.