The 2026 Indian Premier League showcased top athletes and thrilling performances. As the season concluded, many players made strong cases for India’s T20I team.
However, during the All India Senior Selection Committee meeting on June 6 in Mumbai, several standout players were not included in the squads for the Ireland and England series or the Asian Games. Here are three players who excelled in IPL 2026 but were left out:
1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the top seamer of IPL 2026, taking 28 wickets in 16 matches with an average of 17.89 and an economy rate of 7.95, narrowly missing the Purple Cap to Kagiso Rabada. His contributions were key to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning another title. Despite his remarkable comeback, he was not selected.
2. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar had an impressive season, leading RCB to consecutive titles, making him only the third captain in IPL history to achieve this after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. Patidar excelled not only in strategy but also with the bat, scoring 501 runs at an average of 41.75 with a strike rate of 192.69. However, his performances did not persuade the selectors.
3. Shubman Gill
After being left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad, Shubman Gill responded impressively in IPL 2026, scoring 732 runs, the second-highest for the season, with an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 163.02, including one century and six fifties. Gill also led Gujarat Titans to a runners-up finish, strengthening his leadership credentials. Along with Patidar, he could have been considered for captaincy options as selectors explored alternatives to Suryakumar Yadav.