IPL 2026 MVP Award: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Shines Despite Final Absence
IPL 2026 MVP Award Presentation
During the IPL 2026 trophy presentation, which will take place after the final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, individual awards will also be distributed. A highlight of the event will be the announcement of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which has been awarded to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Notably, he did not participate in the final match, yet he secured this prestigious title, surpassing players from both finalist teams. His nearest rival for the award was Kagiso Rabada from GT.
Understanding the IPL MVP Selection Process
In contrast to other tournaments where the Player of the Tournament (POTT) is chosen by a panel, the IPL MVP award is determined through a unique mathematical formula. Points are allocated based on various actions: scoring boundaries, taking wickets, bowling dot balls, and making catches.
Points System for IPL MVP
| Action | Points |
| Every four | 2.5 |
| Every six | 3.5 |
| Every wicket | 3.5 |
| Every dot ball | 1 |
| Every catch | 2.5 |
| Every stumping | 2.5 |
This points system has been utilized since the 2013 IPL season, replacing the traditional POTT award from earlier editions. Sooryavanshi achieved an impressive score of 436.5 points in the 2026 season, marking the second-highest total in IPL history, just behind Sunil Narine's record of 450 points in 2024. Narine remains the only player to have won the MVP award three times (2012, 2018, and 2024). Remarkably, Rabada's score would have secured him the MVP title in 12 out of the 14 IPL seasons. Apart from Narine (2024), Sooryavanshi (2026), and Rabada (2026), no other players have surpassed 400 points in a single season.