5 Star players who deserve a better team in IPL 2026

Franchises win when they match a player’s role to a clear plan. Some stars are brilliant on the international stage but keep landing in IPL situations that underuse them, expose them to bad workload management, or simply don’t give them the right environment. Here are five big-name players who, on form and profile, would dramatically improve the 2026 IPL if they found better teams.

1. Mitchell Starc

Starc is a raw-match-winner in white-ball cricket with genuine pace, late swing and death-over mastery. But injuries and fragmented IPL windows have limited how franchises can build around him. When teams manage him properly with fixed overs, clear new-ball and death roles, and a supporting powerplay plan, he changes games. 

Any franchise that can protect his workload and construct an attack around his strengths (one or two new-ball partners, a specialist death bowler and athletic fielders) would turn Starc into a season-defining asset. The Delhi Capitals were not able to utilise him well, and it seemed like the entire responsibility lay with him. Recent returns and his high-impact international record make the case.

2. Quinton de Kock 

De Kock is a proven match-defining opener and an elite keeper. His best IPL seasons came when he was used as a committed top-order aggressor, especially with the Mumbai Indians. But in some setups, he’s been shuffled or his role muddied by changing tactics. 

A franchise that commits to him as the undroppable No.1 and builds finishers who can capitalise on his starts would see the value multiply. His IPL pedigree (multiple 500+ seasons and two title-winning stints) shows the upside of using him correctly. He was not utilised well with the Kolkata Knight Riders and can find a better team.

3. Jofra Archer 

Archer’s raw talent is undisputed with express pace, lethal yorkers and the ability to win tight games. But repeated injuries and stop-start IPL involvement have seen him miss long chunks and return without a stable franchise plan. A team that invests in medical care, a limited but high-impact overs quota, and a rotation that keeps Archer fresh would get a huge return. 

His international comeback flashes show what a managed season could unlock. Rajasthan Royals had built the whole pace attack around him, and there seemed to be no assistance for him from other pacers around, which impacted his performance too. Teams that don’t rely only on him will get better results from him.

4. Kane Williamson 

Williamson is one of the world’s finest run-accumulators and a calming leader. In the IPL, however, international duties and shifting batting positions have sometimes robbed him of rhythm. Although he did not find any buyers in the previous season, he provides the pedigree with the bat that many teams need. 

A franchise that gives Kane a clear, early-season anchor role, plus power-hitting partners who flourish off his rotation, would turn consistent starts into match-winning platforms. His track record in the IPL and internationally proves he can carry a top order when used as the structural heart of the batting.

5. Ashutosh Sharma 

Ashutosh Sharma had another brilliant season this year, after emerging as a deadly finisher in the previous season. He was bought by the Delhi Capitals and used as a finisher, where he did well too on quite a few occasions. However, on many occasions, he found himself with no reliable partners around, and wickets kept tumbling from one end.

This led him to take more risks, which occasionally went in their favour, and a lot of times, they didn’t. He may find himself in a better position in other teams that have a strong middle order and don’t rely completely on him to finish games.

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