The IPL trophy has an inscription on it in Sanskrit, which translates to "where talent meets opportunity". The tournament throws up new talents every season, and IPL 2026 should be no different. Here are ten IPL rookies - both Indian and overseas players - to watch out for in the upcoming season.
Kartik Sharma (Chennai Super Kings)
A turbo-aggressive batter, who can also keep wicket, Kartik Sharma emerged on CSK's radar in IPL 2025, when he trained with the wider squad and played intra-squad games at their High-Performance Academy on the outskirts of Chennai.
The 19-year-old then turned up at the Ranji Trophy for Rajasthan and topped the six-hitting chart in the first chunk of the season and then pressed on to hit 11 sixes in 83 balls in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. During the competition, he took on some experienced domestic spinners, including Shreyas Gopal and R Sai Kishore. Can he make the step up to the IPL and provide CSK's middle order with a potent point of difference?
Auqib Nabi (Delhi Capitals)
Better known for his red-ball skills, which delivered Jammu & Kashmir their maiden Ranji Trophy title, fast bowler Auqib Nabi can also cut it in the shortest format.
Nabi, 29, has always had the ability to swing the new ball, but in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he levelled up and darted yorkers, including wide ones away from the swinging arcs of batters. Such defensive skills could serve him well on the flat, bash-through-the line pitches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
With T Natarajan looking rusty during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also more recently at the DY Patil tournament, DC could look up to Nabi to bowl the difficult overs for them.
Ashok Sharma (Gujarat Titans)
An out-and-out fast bowler, who touched 150kph during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Ashok Sharma could potentially be India's Next Wild Thing after Mayank Yadav. Extreme pace is always valued in the IPL, which is why four franchises were locked in a bidding war for Ashok at the auction, with GT eventually scooping him for INR 90 lakh.
Ashok, 23, displayed the ability to bowl across phases in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, coming away with a chart-topping 22 wickets in ten innings at an economy rate of 9.25.
Mukul Choudhary (Lucknow Super Giants)
"If he's willing... in the next four months, I'm going to turn him into the scariest No. 6 or No. 7 batter in India."
This was LSG coach Justin Langer speaking to captain Rishabh Pant about the uncapped Mukul Choudhary during a pre-season camp. They clearly see Choudhary as a player with enormous potential and he can also keep wicket, if needed.
He caught the attention of IPL scouts during the Under-23 tournament, where he crashed 617 runs at a staggering average of 102.83, and finished as the leading six-hitter. After an injury to Kartik, Choudhary stepped into the senior Rajasthan side as a keeper-batter and showed that he could hit sixes at a higher level too.
Mangesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
A left-arm quick, who can hit 140kph and also bowl slower variations, Mangesh Yadav was identified as a like-for-like replacement for Yash Dayal, who has not played any competitive cricket since IPL 2025. After winning the Emerging Player award in the MP T20 league, the 23-year-old broke into the senior MP team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and picked up three wickets in two games.
Mangesh can also pitch in with the bat down the order, and though the sample size in domestic cricket is small, RCB's scouting network believes that he is good enough to slot into RCB's XII.
Shivang Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Left-arm wristspinners are a rare breed in India. Left-arm wristspinners who can bat are even rarer. Shivang Kumar from Madhya Pradesh is a purveyor of both skills, which might help him pip Krains Fuletra, who is more of a specialist left-arm wristspinner, for a spot in SRH's XII.
After impressing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shivang hit higher notes in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, bagging a five-for in a win against Karnataka in Ahmedabad. Then in an intra-squad practice game on a flat Hyderabad pitch where 282 played 253 on March 21, Shivang collected 2 for 39 in his four overs, including the wicket of Liam Livingstone.
Finn Allen (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Just weeks after smashing a 33-ball century at Eden Gardens, a record in T20 World Cups, Finn Allen could make his IPL bow, for KKR. He can also keep wicket, if KKR can't fit his New Zealand team-mate Tim Seifert into the team.
Allen relishes pace on the ball and has also improved vastly against spin after his stints in T20 leagues around the world. He was previously with RCB as a spare player, when Mike Hesson was in charge of the franchise, but didn't get a game there. His sensational six-hitting in the Big Bash League and the World Cup that followed has put him in the reckoning for an IPL debut.
Prashant Veer (Chennai Super Kings)
Nicknamed "Miller" in the age-group circuit for his ability to launch big sixes, Prashant Veer tempted CSK into splashing INR 14.2 crore on him even though the franchise had allocated an identical sum for Kartik. Throw in his quickish left-arm fingerspin, you get an attractive package, though stepping into Ravindra Jadeja's shoes will be incredibly difficult.
"I will do what I am here for," Veer said at an event in Chennai in the lead-up to IPL 2026. "I will not put pressure on myself. What Jadeja has done for the franchise and the Indian team is not easy for anyone to do. Right now, I am only focusing on my game."
Veer is also working his way back from a shoulder injury that he suffered in January. He has not played a competitive game since then.
AM Ghazanfar (Mumbai Indians)
A mystery spinner, who has a number of variations in his repertoire including the carrom ball, AM Ghazanfar has already won the IPL as a replacement player at KKR in IPL 2024. He was picked by MI for the next season, but ended up being sidelined with injury. Will MI unleash Ghazanfar on oppositions in IPL 2026?
He strengthened his IPL case during his ILT20 stint with MI Emirates, returning 15 wickets in 13 games at an economy rate of 7.04. MI already have Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks in their ranks and both lend batting depth, but it will be hard for them to ignore Ghazanfar's skills.
Mitchell Owen (Punjab Kings)
The only player in this list to have played an IPL game so far, Mitchell Owen, once a middle-order batter, has refashioned himself into an explosive opener. He was picked by PBKS as a replacement player for IPL 2025 after he walloped a 39-ball hundred for Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL final in January last year. On IPL debut, he bagged a duck at No. 3, but could get more opportunities in the upcoming season following the departure of Josh Inglis to LSG.
Cooper Connolly, who can also bowl left-arm fingerspin, is another option for the No. 3 spot, but if PBKS prefer to stack up power at the top, then Owen could get the nod behind Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Owen has also worked closely with coach Ricky Ponting at Washington Freedom in MLC 2025, where he was spectacular - both with his big-hitting and slower variations with the ball.