IPL 2026 highlighted several high-priced players failing to justify their place in the playing xi. Rishabh Pant scored 251 runs in 11 games with just one fifty, Cameron Green managed 232 runs and four wickets, Nicholas Pooran averaged 16.73, Hardik Pandya scored 146 runs with four wickets, and Suryakumar Yadav added only 195 runs. Their inconsistency hurt franchises.