In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu are back in the same room again (almost all of us) to kick off the IPL 2026 coverage with a bumper preview show in two parts. In this episode, we start by previewing the fortunes of the Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.

We start with a Baldy explainer, before moving straight into the team previews. This year we decided to count down from outsiders (based on the a random betting agency - don't blame us) to the favourites to discuss what excites us about our chosen teams, the key questions facing each side and whether we think they'll be in title contention come the business end of the tournament.

First up is RR, in which Binksy highlights their young side, but buries the lead to the big question about Vaibhav Suryavanshi and how much hype will surround the young star this season. We also discuss the loss of Sanju Samson and ponder whether Riyan Parag's side is in rebuild mode.

Next is LSG, where the conversation quickly turns to their powerful projected top 4 of Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran & Rishabh Pant. Will they be able to carry the batting load on their hefty shoulders? Will Wanindu Hasaranga play a role in the tournament? And will we see a fully fit Mayank Yadav steaming in again?

For KKR it's a sad day for Binksy to look at the lineup and see no Andre Russell, but Sunil Narine remains and a host of New Zealanders have arrived to boost the overseas stocks. The question remains, which ones will actually take the field? Will Finn Allen thrive? And how much has Harshit Rana's injury dented their chances?

The Delhi Capitals are up fourth, and Stu is excited about their chances in 2026. The addition of the likes of Pathum Nissanka, David Miller & Lungi Ngidi, plus the spin trio of Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam & Kuldeep Yadav makes the team an intriguing proposition on paper. But will they have the local batting depth to turn that intrigue into wins?

To round out part one of our preview, Raj takes a look at 2025's beaten finalists, the Punjab Kings, who return with a lot of familiar faces from the team that performed so well in the previous season. There's Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh at the top, overseas allrounders like Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai & Marcus Stoinis, plus Arshdeep Singh & the spin duo of Yuzi Chahal and Harpreet Brar with the ball, making them a very balanced side. So why are they not more favoured in the betting odds?

We'll be back in your feed again in 24 hours with the second episode of our IPL 2026 Preview. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

2:20 IPL 2026 Explainer

7:25 Rajasthan Royals

15:00 Lucknow Super Giants

21:05 Delhi Capitals

28:10 Kolkata Knight Riders

35:10 Punjab Kings

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