Bhaskar English’s Best XI of week 8:Shubman Gill leads star-studded side; Kishan, Archer stand out with fiery performances

In the week where the action in IPL 2026 shifts from the group stage to the playoffs, various players performed under pressure and tried to revive their team’s hopes of making the knockouts. The qualification scenario turned chaotic as it can get in week 8 of IPL. Eliminated teams like LSG and MI might not have been able to end their campaigns on a high note, but players like Josh Inglis made a statement with their performance. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan turned out to be one of the most lethal no.3 batters with blockbuster knocks from SRH in both wins. Shreyas Iyer found his touch with the willow at the end of the season as he slammed an unbeaten 101* while Siraj and Rashid Khan continued to rattle the opposition with sharp lengths and deceptive variations. Let’s take a look at Bhaskar English’s Best XI, which is full of players who performed in clutch situations for their respective teams. Bhaskar English’s Best XI Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Matches: 2, Runs: 97) In the must-win clash that was needed to keep Rajasthan Royals’ playoff hopes alive, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi sailed RR past the troubled waters. He slammed blistering 93 runs off 38 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in Tuesday’s clash that outshone Marsh’s 96(57). Josh Inglis (Matches: 2, 132 Runs, 73 Balls) Another Aussie LSG opener unleashed hell on the bowlers in week 8 of IPL 2026 as he slammed a whopping 132 runs in 73 balls in two matches. In the 1st match of this week against Rajasthan, he stitched a 109-run partnership with Marsh and thrashed 60 off 29 balls. Even in the second game against Punjab Kings, Inglis gave a rock-solid start to Lucknow, hitting 72 runs in 44 balls to anchor his team after Arshin Kulkarni’s early dismissal. Shubman Gill (c) (Matches: 1, Runs: 64) As a batter and a leader, Shubman Gill has been more than exemplary in the second half of this season. After losing four of their first seven games of IPL 2026, Gill led the Gujarat Titans to 6 wins in the last seven games of the 19th edition. Meanwhile, in the week 8 game that he played against Chennai Super Kings, he slammed 64 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 172.97. Ishan Kishan (Matches: 2, Runs: 149) Sunrisers Hyderabad locked their playoff berth this week with a win against Chennai Super Kings and pushed GT to the qualifiers. In the first game that SRH played CSK, Kishan held the fort until the end, slammed 70 runs in 47 balls and even built a crucial partnership with Heinrich Klaasen. Then, in the 2nd game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, when Travis Head flopped with the bat, Ishan Kishan smashed 79(46) and stayed till the end for his team. Suryakumar Yadav (Matches: 2, Runs: 75) Suryakumar Yadav showed signs of his old self with a superb 62-run knock off 42 deliveries against the Rajasthan Royals. Coming in to bat at a tricky time in the chase, Surya did well to take control of the situation and score a half-century, which kept MI in the hunt. Although he was dismissed and the Mumbai Indians lost the match, this stood out as one of notable performances of the week. Shreyas Iyer (1 Match, 101 runs) Shreyas Iyer broke the losing jinx for Punjab Kings and ended the team’s 6-match losing streak with his unbeaten century. After Priyansh Arya’s early dismissal, Prabhsimran Singh might have got chances, but Iyer built the innings with calculated shots. Notably, he also did not stay out for 101, hitting at a strike rate of 198.04. Krunal Pandya (Matches: 1, Runs: 41) Krunal Pandya helped the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s net run rate from taking a nosedive in a high-scoring contest against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. His quickfire 41* in just 31 balls let RCB reach the 200-run threshold. With the ball, Krunal Pandya also took a wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, who had slammed a half-century. Rashid Khan (Matches: 1, Wickets: 3) Rashid Khan has added edge to the Gujarat Titans’ bowling arsenal with his sharp spells in the 2nd half of IPL 2026. In the first seven games of this season, he got 8 wickets, but in the second half, the Afghan spinner scalped 11 wickets. Even in the game against Chennai Super Kings, he conceded 18 runs in 2 overs and grabbed three wickets. Jofra Archer (Matches: 2, Wickets: 4) Jofra Archer came good for the Rajasthan Royals in a match that they needed to win to qualify for the playoffs. The pacer rattled the Mumbai Indians with a spectacular three-wicket haul that included the scalp of Rohit Sharma to end with figures of 3/17. Archer also contributed to the game with 32 runs. Mohammed Siraj (Matches: 1, Wickets: 3) Mohammed Siraj maintained his lethality with the new ball, taking three wickets in four overs and giving just 26 runs. First, he removed CSK’s pillar Sanju Samson on the first ball and then got rid of threats Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel as well. Pat Cummins (Matches: 2, Wickets: 3) Pat Cummins proved to be a great bowler in the CSK clash as he removed Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the powerplay. Then, during the middle overs, he got rid of Kartik Sharma, leaking 28 runs in four overs. However, he turned out to be a bit costly against RCB, giving away 48 runs in his four-over spell. Ishan Kishan: Best batter of week 8 Ishan Kishan was the best batter in the week gone by in IPL 2026. The left-hander, who already has had a special 2026, showed why he was such an important component in the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit. He delivered a match-winning knock of 70 runs from just 47 balls against CSK, a win that helped his team secure a spot in the playoffs. He then dished out another dominant performance against defending champions RCB, hitting 79 runs off 46 deliveries, which eventually came in another winning cause for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jofra Archer: Best bowler of week 8 Jofra Archer has been the standout bowler in week 8 of IPL 2026. The Rajasthan Royals pacer, who has had an impressive time this season, delivered a crucial match-winning performance to help his team qualify for the playoffs. Archer’s best came against the Mumbai Indians where he picked up three wickets for just 17 runs while defending a target of 206 at a high-scoring venue like the Wankhede. IPL 2026 Best fielder of week 8: Shubman Gill The Gujarat Titans captain pulled off one of the ‘catch of the season’ contenders. This happened in GT’s last group-stage match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when Shivam Dube attempted a big hit but miscued the shot. Gill, fielding at cover had to run behind and he timed his jump to perfection to pull off a wonderful catch. After taking the catch, he also appeared to silence the crowd in Ahmedabad.