IPL 2026: 3 Teams most dependent on overseas players this season

The Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) is in its final week, with just one spot remaining for the teams in the playoffs. The tournament is traditionally known to unearth some of the hidden talents of the country, giving them a platform to shine against the top stars of the world.

While in the ongoing edition, most teams had new talent driving their campaigns, some remained heavily dependent on their foreign recruits to keep them afloat. Here are three such teams of the IPL 2026, which heavily depended on foreign players in terms of batting:

3. Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Pat Cummins-led side has qualified for the playoffs after finishing third on the IPL 2026 points table with 18 points from 14 matches. Much of the contribution in the batting department for SRH has come from the willows of Heinrich Klaasen and Travis Head, as their 39.27% runs have come from foreign players.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are still alive in the playoffs race, but their fate isn’t only in their hands and are dependent on several other results. Among all ten teams, they’re the second most dependent on foreign stars, who’ve contributed 42.80% to their total runs, with major contributions from Finn Allen and Cameron Green

1. Lucknow Super Giants

The Rishabh Pant-led side had a season to forget as they finished the league stage with just four wins from 12 matches, having eight points to their name. LSG were most dependent on foreigners, who scored 56.94% of their total runs. The major contributors were Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran.

Here are three teams whose bowling is most dependent on foreign players:

3. Mumbai Indians

The five-time champions also had a rather forgettable season as they’re reeling at the second-last spot with eight points. With Jasprit Bumrah unable to fire, MI were heavily dependent on their foreign bowlers to help them get breakthroughs as they scalped 48.33% of their wickets. AM Ghazanfar and Corbin Bosch were the major contributors for Mumbai.

2. Chennai Super Kings 

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side also failed to show any consistency in the season and got knocked out after finishing with 12 points from 14 matches. CSK have the second-highest percentage of wickets from overseas players, who accounted for a total of 52.05% dismissals with major contributions from Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmed.

1. Gujarat Titans

The Shubman Gill-led side is sitting pretty at the second spot on the points table, having sealed their spot in Qualifier 1. Gujarat has the best bowling attack in the tournament so far, and the majority of their success has come from overseas players, who’ve accounted for 53.76% dismissals. Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan and Jason Holder have made major contributions.