Moeen Ali ranks the IPL franchises he’s played for ahead of 2026 auction; RCB aren’t No. 1

Veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali ranked the three IPL franchises he has played for in order ahead of the upcoming 2026 auction. The 38-year-old started his IPL career with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), representing the franchise from 2018 to 2020.

Moeen then moved to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2021 and played for the franchise for four seasons until 2024. The spin-bowling all-rounder finally shifted to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the latest IPL edition this year and played only the one season before being released by them.

When asked to rank between the three franchises, Ali said on the Beard before Wicket YouTube channel (33:45):

"CSK No.1, RCB 2 and KKR 3. KKR was great as well but Chennai was amazing for me. RCB was really good because I got to play with great players. I just enjoyed Bengaluru as a city. Great stadium, great fan base. I was very lucky to play for all three actually. KKR was also really, really good but I was there for one year, again played with great players. But I was there four years in Chennai, three with RCB and only one with KKR. All three were amazing but that's my order."

Moeen boasts an impressive IPL record with 1,167 runs at a strike rate of almost 140 and 41 wickets in 73 outings.

Moeen Ali played a vital role in CSK's last two IPL titles

Moeen Ali was integral to CSK's latest two title runs in the 2021 and 2023 IPL seasons. The 38-year-old scored an incredible 357 runs in 15 games in 2021, while also picking up six wickets.

In IPL 2023, Moeen struggled with the bat, scoring only 124 runs, but bagged nine wickets at an excellent average of under 22.

However, the latest reports suggest that the England veteran is unlikely to feature in the upcoming IPL 2026 season, as he announced his participation in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the same time. Moeen Ali struggled for KKR in IPL 2025, scoring only five runs and picking up six wickets in his six matches.