Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has named his ultimate IPL XI ahead of IPL 2026. He named MS Dhoni as the captain and wicketkeeper of the side. He included Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli as openers, followed by AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah.