IPL 2026 Dispatch: Ferguson Gets Flak From Ex-India Opener; Pietersen Picks Dream Team

As the Indian Premier League 2026 curtain-raiser between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad draws closer, the off-field chatter keeps getting progressively shriller. In times when social media navigation is a way of life, experts and fans alike are clamouring to get themselves heard online.

What results is a potpourri of opinion, conjecture and rumours. The incessant injury updates from various camps are interspersed with views on players' availability and the lack thereof. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has joined the chorus with his critical take on New Zealand seamer Lockie Ferguson's not playing Punjab Kings' first seven games.

Chopra said in a video released on his YouTube channel: “I’m thinking about Lockie Ferguson. Actually, that’s a serious one. Is he injured… I don’t know. Is he injured or not? What I read is he is not available for seven matches. He said, ‘I want to spend some time with family’.

"He was picked at base price, right? Bought for 2 crores. He is playing for his team, playing for New Zealand, and then he’ll take a break. He’ll go home and spend time with family.

“It’s not a bad thing... You should never judge anyone... But if you’ve made a commitment and you’re leaving seven matches just for that in the IPL, then teams will have to realise that this isn’t right.”

With that, let us take a look at some of the other major talking points from the IPL 2026 build-up in the past 24 hours.

Yes To Kohli, No To Rohit In Pietersen's Dream IPL XI

England cricket legend Kevin Pietersen did not bat an eyelid while leaving out Rohit Sharma and David Warner in favour of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli as openers in his dream Indian Premier League all-time XI. Sitting down with compatriot and Gujarat Titan batter Jos Buttler on the 'For The Love Of Cricket' podcast, Pietersen picked out Chennai Super Kings' yesteryear and present-day legends Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni in a vintage-looking batting order.

He also went with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and bowling aces Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah among the Indians. Below is the 11 that Pietersen finalized:

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.

Akash Deep Reportedly Ruled Out Of Whole Season

Joining the swelling list of Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) injured bowlers, Akash Deep was on Saturday (March 21) reportedly ruled out of entirety of the IPL 2026 season with a stress reaction on his lower back. The injury has also put the right-arm pacer in serious doubt for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June.

"It will take considerable time for healing, workload adaptation followed by Return To Play protocols. So conservative estimate of recovery will be around 10 weeks but it could take more time," a PTI report quoted a Board of Control for Cricket in India source as saying.

Ashwin Makes No Bones About KKR Weakness

Even as KKR dealt with their depleted arsenal, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that the franchise's bowling attack no longer carried the same aura of fear and that the “novelty factor” around their mystery spinners had faded. Ashwin felt India spinner Varun Chakravarthy will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and noted that injuries and personnel changes have weakened the bowling unit since the auction.

"I don’t think oppositions will be worried after looking at KKR’s bowling attack. I think the mystery factory, the novelty factor, and the fear would have gone. Earlier, batters used to go to the analyst’s room, watch the bowler’s hand, or just look to take a single,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"Varun is at a stage in his career where he has to find answers. But, it is natural for every cricketer’s progress and his career. I think the novelty factor is out,” he added.

Kohli's 'Switch On' Mantra For RCB Teammates

Ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title defence, batting icon Virat Kohli appealed to his teammates to switch themselves on and not waste even a minute at the training sessions. Addressing the squad during their first practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli underlined the need to maintain the intensity that brought them the maiden title in 2025.

"We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it's only going to get tougher because other teams are going to come hard at us," Kohli said. "We don't waste these days. We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Let's not waste even a minute of any session that we are a part of. We must give our 120 per cent for these two and a half months."

What Uthappa Finds Missing In SRH

Ex-India batter Robin Uthappa believes Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) aggressive batting approach would not be enough for them to lift the IPL trophy this time. The 2007 T20 World Cup winner said on JioStar: "SRH's aggressive batting is entertaining to watch. But batting like that won't help them win the IPL. Their bowling is a bit on the weaker side. Bowlers are the ones who make you win the trophy."

Uthappa also joined other experts in speculating that the 2026 season would be MS Dhoni's last in IPL. He said, "I think you can see Dhoni being a little more hands-off. IPL 2026 is likely to be his last year in the yellow jersey. I see him playing more of a mentor-cum-player role this year.

"I don't see him batting at number seven. I see him batting at number eight. Knowing that he is on his way out, he wants to wean himself out. I think he will do that."