Every year before the IPL auction, teams decide which players they want to target in the auction based on the skills they want in their team. When the names of these players are called, some teams adopt a cautious approach while others get nervous.
This ultimately results in record-breaking bids year after year. In every IPL auction, one or two players fetch huge sums. And many times players are not able to lift that weight on their back.
Naturally, some players will be in form during the season, and some will not. But it is the players who are out of form, despite paying unimaginable sums at the auction table, that generate the most anger and media coverage. There is widespread agreement that the high sums for which they are contracted have an impact on players.
While it is obviously the player’s responsibility to actually perform, they do not have control over how much they will be paid. And ultimately the team has to suffer the consequences of the players’ failure.
In this article, we will review the 7 most expensive failures of IPL 2026 in terms of price tag.
Nicholas Pooran, LSG, ₹21 crore
Nicholas Pooran, originally contracted for ₹16 crore in 2023, had an immediate impact for the Lucknow Supergiants. After impressive performances in both 2023 and 2024, he was retained at his current price tag ahead of the mega auction in 2025.
Even in 2025, Pooran performed well even though LSG failed to make the playoffs. However, in IPL 2026, Pooran’s poor form has been synonymous with LSG’s struggles.
In IPL 2026, Puran has scored 145 runs in 9 matches at an average of 16.11 and strike rate of 118.25. These poor figures also included a solitary half-century and a high score of 63.
Rishabh Pant, LSG, ₹27 crore
In the 2025 IPL auction, LSG was looking for a new captain after parting ways with KL Rahul. After missing out on names like Shreyas Iyer, LSG decided to rely on Pant.
In that auction, Pant became the highest paid player in IPL history, but the performance did not come. Rishabh Pant was very out of form in 2025 and his captaincy also could not do any wonders. Pant scored a century in the last match of the season, but his team lost that game as well.
Neither his form nor his team has improved in 2026. In 9 matches, Pant has scored only 204 runs at an average of 29.14 and strike rate of 129.11. This includes a high score of 60*.
Cameron Green, KKR, ₹25.20 crore
As an all-rounder who can bowl fast, Green’s ideal players are always in high demand in the IPL. In his first year in the IPL auction, Mumbai Indians spent ₹17.5 crore for him in 2023.
That year, he scored more than 400 runs with one century but he was traded to RCB the following year. Green performed well for them but missed 2025 due to a back injury. Despite recovering from injury, KKR were set to make Green the highest-paid foreign player in IPL history.
However, when he arrived, he was prevented from bowling by Cricket Australia, and was hurt by this. KKR did not win any of their first six matches and are barely alive in the race for the playoffs. In 9 matches, Green has scored just 199 runs at an average of 28.42 and a strike rate of 152. He also has a half-century to his name with a high score of 79.
With the ball, he has taken just 3 wickets at an average of 43.67 and an economy of around 12 runs per over.
Suryakumar Yadav, MI, ₹16.35 crore
Ever since Yadav joined MI for his second stint at the franchise in 2018, he has become an integral part of the team that would win IPL titles in both 2019 and 2020.
Even though MI has not won an IPL trophy since then, Yadav has made consistent contributions with the bat. In the 2025 mega auction, Yadav was retained for ₹16.35 crore. MI had a slow start to the season and made a spectacular comeback. ‘Surya’ was at the forefront of this miracle.
With 717 runs, ‘Sky’ broke the record for most runs by an MI batsman in a season. He scored 25 or more runs in all 16 matches he played last year, setting a T20 world record in the process.
At the time of writing, Mumbai Indians’ hopes of qualifying for the playoffs in 2026 are almost non-existent. SKY’s poor performance with the bat is a big reason. He has scored only 183 runs in 9 matches at an average of 20.33 and strike rate of 144. He has also scored a half-century.
Trent Boult, MI, ₹12.50 crore
Trent Boult was a revelation who led Mumbai Indians to a record fifth IPL title in 2020. That season, he took 22 wickets, mostly in the powerplay.
In the 2022 mega auction, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals and performed well for them. Boult returned to MI in 2025 and made an immediate impact. His bowling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah was one of the best in IPL 2025.
Even in 2026, his form or consistency was not the same. In 5 matches, he has taken only 2 wickets at an average of 94 and economy of 11.62.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK, ₹18 crore
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s journey from an uncapped batsman in 2019 to CSK captain in 2024 is a journey in itself. During this period he won two titles with CSK in 2021 and 2023.
The first year, he was the Orange Cap winner, and in 2023, he was CSK’s second-highest run-scorer. All this makes him an attractive candidate for captaincy in 2024. In his first year as captain, CSK missed the playoffs due to low net run rate.
For the mega auction in 2025, he was retained in the highest price bracket, but he got injured midway through the season. CSK finished last in IPL 2025.
Under Gaikwad’s captaincy in 2026, CSK is struggling similarly with 4 wins in 9 matches. With the bat, he has scored 245 runs in 9 matches at an average of 35 and a strike rate of just 126.
He has also scored two unbeaten fifties.
Hardik Pandya, MI, ₹16.35 crore
In 2022, Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in his debut season. The following year, he made this team the runner-up. All this made Mumbai Indians think that he would be the perfect candidate to take over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma in 2024, and hence the deal was final.
In 2024, Pandya led Mumbai to tenth place. However, MI kept their faith in him and retained him for his current price tag in 2025. As mentioned above, under his captaincy, MI finished 1 win short of reaching the finals in 5 matches.
In 2026, MI is almost out of the playoff race after 7 losses in 9 matches. There is nothing worth writing about Hardik’s form with bat or ball.
With the bat, he has scored 148 runs in 8 matches at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136. His highest score is just 40. With the ball, he has taken only 4 wickets at a bowling average of 61.50 and an economy rate of less than 12.
*All statistics are accurate as of the first innings of the match on May 4, 2026.
Also Read: IPL 2026: 7 biggest controversies so far – ranked from small dramas to big scandals
