Revealed: The five biggest disappointments of this year’s IPL so far

While several stars have shone brightly this season, many big-money signings and established icons have struggled to justify their reputations, or their price tags.

We are well past mid-way through the IPL 2026 season.

It’s time to take stock and look at five players who stand out as the most underwhelming performers.

1, Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The most expensive overseas player in history, Australia star Cameron Green was bought for a staggering ₹25.20 crore. However, he has completely failed to live up to the “all-rounder” billing.

Initially hampered by a back injury that prevented him from bowling, his batting has been equally dismal, collecting just 199 runs in nine innings at an average of 28.42.

It’s not a terrible return but given the hype and the huge fee paid for his services it is not surprising that fans are already calling for him to be dropped in favour of a more reliable overseas option once Matheesha Pathirana returns to full fitness.

2. Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians)

In one of the most surreal statistical dips in IPL history, the world’s premier T20 bowler has looked toothless. Bumrah, a hero of India’s recent T20 World Cup win, has managed just three wickets across his first nine matches.

While his economy rate remains respectable, his lack of breakthroughs has left MI’s pace attack depleted and primarily responsible for their position near the bottom of the table.

Also read: Biggest IPL blowouts ever – the most dominant wins in history

3. Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)

The “360-degree” master has lost his rhythm. After leading India to the T20 World Cup title, Suryakumar Yadav has looked out of sorts for MI, managing only 183 runs in nine innings at an average of just 20.33.

Aside from a single half-century, he has failed to dominate attacks, leaving a massive void in the Mumbai middle order that has translated into a string of narrow defeats.

At a time when Mumbai needed their big-name stars to stand up in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar has been a major disappointment.

4. Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants)

As the league’s highest-paid player at ₹27 crore, expectations for Pant are always sky-high. Unfortunately, his second season leading LSG has been defined by scratchy batting and questionable captaincy.

He has averaged just 25.50 with a strike rate significantly lower than his usual explosive standard. His struggle to convert starts and his frequent reshuffling of the batting order has left LSG languishing at the bottom of the points table.

5. Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants)

Joining his captain in the disappointment category, West Indies star Nicholas Pooran has seen a shocking decline in power. Known for his record-breaking strike rates, Pooran has struck at under 100 this season, managing a meagre 82 runs from eight games.

For a player LSG relies on to finish innings, hitting only four sixes mid-way through the season is a catastrophic drop-off from his usual form.

While he showed signs of a revival with a fluent 63 against MI, his low point was undoubtedly the Super Over against KKR where he was bowled first ball by Sunil Narine as LSG posted a score of one as they lost the tiebreaker.

Read next: The 7 exciting teenage prodigies set to light up IPL 2026