The Indian Premier League (IPL) consistently generates some outstanding individual performances that earn the highest Valuable Player (MVP) award by accumulating the highest points. Some of the best T20 players in the world are among the MVP winners, which replaced the Player of the Series title in 2013.
Virat Kohli, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes are just a few of the players that might earn the MVP award.
Narine has received the award three times since its rebranding (2012, 2018, and 2024). In his most recent achievement, he scored the most points in the tournament’s history—450.
Here are the five contenders for the IPL 2026 Most Valuable Player award:
5. Ishan Kishan – Hyderabad Sunrisers.
Ishan Kishan is going to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 following a very successful set of months, both in the international and domestic arena. The 27-year-old was part of the India team that won the 2026 T20 World Cup as he made 317 runs with a strike rate of 193.29. He also took Jharkhand to the title of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy before the world cup.
Kishan had parted with his long-term relationship with the Mumbai Indians and joined Sunrisers Hyderabod (SRH) last year. During his first season with SRH, the left-handed player had 354 runs with his first IPL century. Judging by his bat shape and the energy he is accumulating as he goes into the IPL, Kishan stands a high chance of being the winner of the MVP award this season.
4. Marco Jansen – Punjab Kings
Marco Jansen is also arriving in the IPL with some fine performances in his national team. The all-rounder got 11 wickets in a span of six games at the T20 world cup at the age of 25.
It was the last time that Jansen played 14 matches with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and scored 16 wickets. The lanky lefty is also a good batman with a strike-rate of 138.49 in T 20 cricket and is very useful at the bottom of the order.
The South African MVP has never won in the 18 years of the IPL. Jansen may however be the first because he is one of PBKS most valued foreigners.
3. Krunal Pandya – Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Even though Krunal Pandya has been around the IPL over the years, he had a break out season in 2025 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) when they won the maiden title. One of their foremost spinners was the Baroda all-rounder who got 17 wickets off 15 games.
Pandya further achieved 109 runs in the lower middle order with 73 runs being unbeaten off her 47 balls against the Delhi Capitals assisting his team in winning by six wickets.
Dodging the radars by the time the 2026 IPL begins, should Pandya continue his form of the previous year, the all-rounder will certainly have the potential to be the MVP winner.
2. Kolkata Knight Riders – Sunil Narine.
Sunil Narine is arguably one of the greatest IPL players of all time with a total of three MVPs in the history of the tournament, the latest of which was achieved in 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders becoming the three-time champions of the tournament.
Narine, even at this age of years, is still a threat when he has the ball. The West Indies spinner proceeded to claim 10 wickets in 12 matches of the recently-concluded 2025-26 International League T20 (ILT20) at a very low economy of 6.28. Narine played only four games at the SA20, however, his economy of 5.87 meant he bowled four wickets.
1. Jasprit Bumrah – Mumbai Indians.
This has a slight element of surprise, since the star of Mumbai Indians (MI) Jasprit Bumrah has never been a winner of the IPL MVP award. The 32 year-old is however the most significant player that MI has ever had as they seek to become champions once again after 2020.
Bumrah has been a reliable performer to both MI and India. The 18 wickets he took at a very frugal economy rate of only 6.67 in the just-conducted T20 World Cup and also the Player of the Final against New Zealand in which he was on four wickets, were taken by the right-arm fast bowler.
It is also only time Bumrah would receive the MVP award and depending on his performance in the last 12 months in the field, this year might well be the one when the pace bowler gets the award he deserves most of all.
