Five uncapped players to watch out for in IPL 2026

The uncapped players to keep an eye on in IPL 2026

Auqib Nabi (Delhi Capitals)

The talk of cricketing circles after a stellar domestic season, Auqib Nabi is widely regarded as the next in line for a Test debut. A swing bowler capable of moving the ball both ways, Nabi picked up 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 at 12.56 in the most recent one, guiding Jammu and Kashmir to a maiden title. He has not had the same impact in the shorter formats, but the numbers remain solid. He has 56 List A wickets at 27.37, along with 43 T20 wickets at 21.81 at an economy rate of 7.74. In the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he took 15 wickets from seven games at an average of 13.26, which earned him his first IPL contract, worth INR 8.40 crore, with Delhi Capitals.

Kartik Sharma (Chennai Super Kings)

Kartik Sharma made headlines during the player auction after becoming the joint-most expensive Indian player in IPL history. He was bought for INR 14.20 crore, a result of his impressive showings in domestic cricket, where his six-hitting is much talked about. Sharma first emerged from the Rajasthan Premier League in 2023, where he made 155 runs in five innings with a strike rate of 145. In the 2024/25 SMAT, he had a strike rate of 164.75, hitting 17 sixes in six innings. The following year, he struck at 160.24 in five innings, with 11 sixes. Sharma has batted in 11 T20 innings thus far, scoring 334 runs at 30.36 with a strike rate of 162.92, hitting 28 sixes – or nearly three per innings. His stroke-hitting is not just limited to the shortest format, with Sharma also smashing 16 sixes in six innings in the most recent edition of the Ranji Trophy.

Smaran Ravichandran (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Smaran Ravichandran has already had a rollercoaster IPL journey, without yet playing a game. He was signed up by SRH as a replacement for the injured Adam Zampa last season, but was ruled out himself soon after. However, he was retained by the franchise, an indication of the promise he holds. Smaran has been a prolific run-scorer in red-ball cricket, making 1,534 runs at a stunning average of 73.04, with six hundreds and four fifties from 17 matches. His white-ball credentials are slowly peaking up too: He averages over 50 after 14 List A innings, and has 489 runs at 48.90 from 13 T20 matches. His strike rate, of 162.45, stands out. In the most recent SMAT, Smaran scored 319 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 158.70 to give a brief glimpse of his talent.

Prashant Veer (Chennai Super Kings)

Also bought for INR 14.20 crore by CSK in the player auction, Prashant Veer is being viewed as a potential long-term successor to Ravindra Jadeja within the franchise. Placing such expectations on a 20-year-old is far from ideal, but the early signs are promising. Veer finished the 2025 UPT20 with 320 runs at 64 with a strike rate of 155.34. He also picked up eight wickets, earning a senior call-up in First-Class and List A cricket. Veer had already made his T20 debut for Uttar Pradesh in 2023, but his breakout season came last season. In the 2025/26 SMAT, he ended with a strike rate of 169.69 from six innings. He also picked up nine wickets.

Mangesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

Mangesh Yadav has played just two T20s, but has impressed the RCB scouts and the management, who shelled out INR 5.20 crore for him. A left-arm quick with a skiddy action and the ability to regularly hit 140 kph, the 24-year-old emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the MP T20 League last year, picking up 14 scalps for Gwalior Cheetahs and earning the Emerging Player award. He was later drafted into the senior side for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he managed three wickets in two games and showcased his lower-order hitting with a quick-fire 28 off 12 balls at No.8 against Punjab.

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