Bhaskar English’s Best XI of week 7:Virat Kohli shines as best batter, Shardul Starc’s fiery spells; Pandey’s stunning catch

In the penultimate week of the Indian Premier League 2026, the eliminated side and the underdogs emerged to be the party poopers for the teams who had been flying high and heading toward playoff qualification. Eliminated teams like the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants marked a strong comeback and dented the playoff hopes of teams like Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings. Then KKR spoiled the party for GT, who were just one win shy of the playoff berth. This turnaround in the IPL tables was caused by some sensational knocks, sharp bowling spells and immaculate fielding efforts. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century followed by his 67th fifty in the next game. Meanwhile, Finn Allen’s carnage clinched easy playoff qualification from GT’s claws. But only one among these players can be crowned as best batter, best bowler, and 11 of them can only make it to Bhaskar English’s Best XI. So let’s take a look at the best 11 players from IPL’s week 7. Bhaskar English’s Best XI of IPL 2026 week 7 Virat Kohli (C) (Matches: 2, Runs: 163) Virat Kohli was among the standout performers this season with 163 runs in two matches, with one of them being a record-extending ninth century. The RCB star bounced back after two consecutive ducks and broke into the top five run-getters this season. Finn Allen (Matches: 2, Runs: 111) Finn Allen makes it to the best XI of the week for a second consecutive week. He got out for a quickfire 18 against RCB and blasted a 35-ball 95 against the Gujarat Titans. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK) (Matches: 2, Runs: 153) Angkrish Raghuvanshi showed how special a player he is, with two solid half-centuries this past week. The young right-hander was extremely consistent this last week, with two fifties to his name. Kartik Sharma (Matches: 1, Runs: 71) Kartik Sharma has repaid the faith that the CSK management showed in him with a brilliant 71 off 42 balls. The knock included six fours and five sixes. Although it came in a losing cause, it was an innings to cherish. Tilak Varma (Matches: 1, Runs: 75) Tilak Varma once again showed why he was so reliable when the chips are down. Chasing down 201 to win against the Punjab Kings, Tilak came good with an unbeaten 75 off 33 balls that included a massive 106m six and the winning hit. Azmatullah Omarzai (Matches: 2, Runs: 52, Wickets: 2) Azmatullah Omarzai made his presence felt with the ball in his very first match. The Afghanistan all-rounder took two wickets while conceding 36 runs in his four overs, in what was a high-scoring contest. He also scored 52 runs in two matches this week. Shardul Thakur (Matches: 1, Wickets: 4) Shardul Thakur has a knack for picking up wickets, and he surely showed that against the Punjab Kings. He picked up four wickets while giving away just 39 runs, and his victims included Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge and Azmatullah Omarzai- all of whom can change a game on their own. Mitchell Starc (Matches: 1, Wickets: 4) Mitchell Starc impressed in the only game he played this week. The Australian pacer took a four-wicket haul, with three of them coming in a space of four deliveries. With this four-wicket haul, Starc’s tally for the season went to nine wickets. Sunil Narine (Matches: 2, Wickets: 3) It’s been 19 seasons in the IPL, and Sunil Narine remains a mystery. The KKR star picked up three wickets in two matches, and his performance against the Gujarat Titans came in a winning cause for the Knight Riders. Akash Singh (Matches: 1, Wickets: 3) Akash Singh played his first match in IPL 2026 this week and showed why he was not very happy to remain on the bench. He took three wickets against CSK, a match-winning performance for LSG. He also performed a note celebration showing a motivational note that read, “Akki on fire- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game.” Harpreet Brar (Matches: 1, Wickets: 2) Harpreet Brar was also one of the impressive performers this week. The left-arm spinner picked up two wickets against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), dismissing Jacob Bethell (11) and Devdutt Padikkal (45). IPL 2026, week 7, Top Performers IPL 2026, best batter of week 7: Virat Kohli After two consecutive ducks, Virat Kohli made a comeback to remember for the IPL 2026 batters. As he pumped his fist in the air after the first run against the Kolkata Knight Riders, something big was already expected. And the RCB legend made the anticipations true with his unbeaten 105 off 60 balls. What’s important? The knock came in a chase of 193 runs. He slammed 11 fours and three sixes in his century knock. Even in the ‘Sunday suspense’ game against the Punjab Kings, Kohli slammed his 76th fifty of IPL. However, he could not convert and got out for 58(27) on a ball bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal. But the quality of cricket that Kohli displayed this week, he deserves the crown of being the best batter in our ‘Best XI’ of this week. IPL 2026, best bowler of week 7: Shardul Thakur IPL 2026, best fielder of the week 7: Manish Pandey’s ‘flash dive’ catch During the match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (PBKS), Manish Pandey’s diving catch at the backward point stole the attention of the spectators as he dismissed explosive Tim David, who slammed a flash cut in the 193-run chase. Tim David got out for 2 runs off 3 balls and couldn’t score much. However, Manish Pandey’s catch stirred the internet, with even Kohli praising his U19 World Cup-winning teammate on the field. Later, the netizens flooded social media with Manish Pandey edits, a player who held immense potential but could not live up to it.