Big names, small returns: IPL 2026’s most expensive underperformers

Midway through IPL 2026, the weight of expectation rests less on shoulders and more on stitched names across jerseys. While crowds roar and lights blaze, quiet frustration brews behind franchise walls. Big signings aren’t matching big paychecks, performance lagging far behind cost. Names once cheered at auctions now linger near the bottom of scoreboards. Retained legends, some hardly leave a mark. The math isn’t kind: rising costs paired with flatlining impact. Value, it turns out, doesn’t always wear a price tag.

Here is a look at the IPL 2026 ‘Big Money’ stars struggling to find their rhythm this season.

1. Nicholas Pooran (LSG) ₹21 Crore
Once a powerhouse at the crease, Nicholas Pooran now struggles to find rhythm. Lucknow spent big to keep him, yet results have not followed. Instead of fireworks, silence follows his exits. Eight innings without twenty runs tells its own story. The man who once blazed trails now walks them slowly. Strike rate dropping became impossible to ignore. Fire seems dimmed, even absent.

Numbers line up - 9(12), 12(25), 9(9), 1(79, 19(21), 13(15), 1(4) & 8(8).
Here’s the truth: every time Pooran bats, it costs LSG around ₹41 lakh - money spent without the payoff of closing games tightly. Because he doesn’t seal innings well, their middle lineup often stalls mid-way through.

2. Rishabh Pant (LSG) - ₹27 Crore
Under bright lights, Rishabh Pant stands as India's costliest kept secret. Though moments shine, like that gritty 68, the dips between highs feel sharp for someone so skilled. A stumble here, a spark there; rhythm slips just when it seems found.

Numbers follow, 42(38), 0(3), 43(28), 1(6), 18(11), 10(9), 68*(50) & 7(9). That kind of return doesn’t stretch far when you take up close to a quarter of the squad’s budget. Even with better overall numbers than Pooran, those low outputs pile up fast. Leading while keeping wicket demands more consistent output. A few flashes won’t balance out too many flat innings.

Also Read: Nicholas Poor-Run met Sunil Narine in the super over and LSG met the bottom of IPL 2026 points table

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) - ₹18 Crore
Ruturaj Gaikwad smacked a brilliant 74 to open his campaign. Yet that steady run-chase rhythm, the kind that once kept him atop the Orange Cap race, seems gone now. When the field spreads early, he stumbles - timing wobbles just as intent sharpens. Falling at the edge of launch mode has become too familiar.

74*(60), 22(14), 19(13), 7(6), 15(18), 7(3), 28(22)& 6(11). With a start price of ₹18 crore, CSK depends heavily on big centuries. Right now, Gaikwad isn’t converting chances; his recent outs come too early. That shift piles weight onto those batting after him.

The Flop Factor:

The Emerging Crisis: Riyan Parag & Jitesh Sharma

It isn’t only those tagged at ₹20 crore facing pressure. Following a standout year in 2024, hopes rode high on Riyan Parag - snapped up for ₹14 crore, to steady Rajasthan’s batting core; yet single-digit returns have reignited questions about what he might do versus what he's actually done.

On another front, Jitesh Sharma found himself picked by RCB for big moments, signed at ₹11 crore with finishing duties in mind, but so far, his peak mark across six matches sits quietly at 23.

In IPL 2026, past glory means nothing; what matters is how you perform now. Each time one of them bowls a quiet delivery, someone’s tallying up cost versus calm, rupee by rupee. For these six names, the stretch run isn’t only about making the finals, it’s damage control on contracts that seem wildly off-base.