RR, DC and PBKS remain perfect after first week of 2026 Indian Premier League
Battle heating up at the top of the 2026 IPL standings
At the start of the 2026 Indian Premier League season, the widespread expectation was that this campaign would be one of the most competitive we’ve seen, and after 12 games, that has certainly been the case with the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals getting off to storming starts.
The Royals confirmed our IPL predictions in Match 3 by demolishing the Chennai Super Kings in their opening fixture, bowling out the five-time champions for a mere 127 runs before chasing down the target with a massive eight wickets and 47 balls to spare.
One player who has been dominating the headlines since the start of the competition is rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old starlet burst onto the scene last season and notched up a blistering 52 runs in just 17 deliveries, including four 4s and five 6s, in their victory over CSK.
Two days later, it was the Delhi Capitals that made their mark on the competition by recording a commanding six-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants. However, it was their performance against the Mumbai Indian on Saturday that really stood out.
DC restricted the Mumbai franchise to just 226/8 in their 20 overs before reaching the target with 11 balls to spare. Sameer Rizvi has been the star performer for the Capitals, having notched up back-to-back half-centuries in his two innings to claim the Orange Cap in the early stages of the tournament.
The Punjab Kings are the third and final team still holding a perfect record after two matches. Indeed, much was expected of PBKS after ending their decade-long wait to return to the finals this season, and so far, they have delivered, racking up victories over the Gujarat Titans (3 wickets) and CSK (5 wickets).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajasthan Royals | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.233 |
| 2 | Delhi Capitals | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.170 |
| 3 | Punjab Kings | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.637 |
| 4 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.907 |
| 5 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.469 |
| 6 | Mumbai Indians | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −0.206 |
| 7 | Gujarat Titans | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | −0.424 |
| 8 | Lucknow Super Giants | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −1.397 |
| 9 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | −1.964 |
| 10 | Chennai Super Kings | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | −2.562 |
Tough starts for Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders
While RR, DC and PBKS have made impressive starts to their 2026 IPL campaigns, two teams still struggling to find their groove are the five-time champions, the Chennai Super Kings, and three-time winners, the Kolkata Knight Riders, both of which are yet to earn a point in the competition.
CSK endured a dismal campaign in 2025, finishing the season at the foot of the standings with just four wins in their 14 group-stage games. Unfortunately for the Chennai franchise, much of their issues from last year seem to be resurfacing in the early stages of this campaign.
The Super Kings were trounced by the Royals by six wickets in their opener before going down to the Punjab Kings by five wickets in their second fixture. As a result, they are now at the bottom of the table with a dismal net run rate of -2.562.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, kicked off their season with a six-wicket defeat to the Mumbai Indians, followed by a 65-run loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR’s next task comes in the form of the Punjab Kings later today at Eden Gardens.
