Flop playing XI of IPL 2026 ft. Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With the win, RCB successfully defended their title. Bowling first after winning the toss, RCB held GT to 155-8. In the chase, they got home in 18 overs.

Rasikh Salam Dar shone with the ball for RCB, claiming 3-27, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets each. In the chase, Virat Kohli guided the team home with a brilliant 75* off 42 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer hammered 32 in just 16 deliveries.

While there were many fantastic performances in IPL 2026, a number of star players also failed to live up to hefty expectations. On that note, here’s the flop playing XI of IPL 2026.

Top order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane and Nicholas Pooran

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane had highly disappointing campaigns while leading their respective sides in IPL 2026. In 14 innings, Gaikwad scored 337 runs for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), averaging 28.08 at a strike rate of 123.44. As for Rahane, he managed 335 runs in 14 innings for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at an average of 25.76 and a strike rate of 135.08.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had high expectations from Nicholas Pooran in IPL 2026. However, he failed to deliver the goods. Pooran looked totally out of sorts and ended up scoring 234 runs in 14 innings at an average of just 18 and an underwhelming strike rate of 127.86.

Middle order & All-rounders: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Cameron Green and Axar Patel

LSG’s Rishabh Pant, who resigned as captain following a disastrous IPL 2026 campaign, would be the skipper and keeper-batter in the flop playing XI. In 13 innings, the southpaw scored 312 runs at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of 138.05. Under his captaincy, LSG finished last in the points table, registering just four wins in 14 matches.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya also had forgettable IPL 2026 campaigns. In 13 innings, Suryakumar only scored 270 runs at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54. As for Pandya, he scored 206 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 138.25. With his pace bowling, he claimed a mere four wickets at an economy rate of 11.42.

Purchased for a record ₹25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction by KKR, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green turned out to be a massive disappointment. In 14 innings, he scored 322 runs at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 145.70. With the ball, he claimed seven wickets at an economy rate of over 10.

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Axar Patel also had an unexpectedly poor IPL 2026 campaign. His struggles mirrored those of his team. In 13 innings, the left-arm spinner picked up 11 wickets at an average of 32.72 and an economy rate of 8.18. With the bat, he managed just 173 runs in 11 innings at an average of 19.22 and a strike rate of 131.06.

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Digvesh Rathi

MI’s legendary pacer Jasprit Bumrah is an unexpected name on the list. In 13 matches, he managed only four wickets at an average of 102.50 and an economy rate of 8.36. The IPL 2026 campaign proved that Bumrah is only human. Another MI pacer, Trent Boult also struggled to deliver the goods. In five matches, the left-arm pacer picked up two scalps, averaging 94 at an economy rate of 11.62.

LSG leggie Digvesh Rathi had a highly disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. In 10 matches, he picked up five wickets at an average of 79.40 and an economy rate of 10.17. Rathi looked totally out of rhythm.

Impact Player options: Rohit Sharma (283 runs), Jitesh Sharma (116 runs), Dewald Brevis (151 runs), Harshal Patel (0 wickets), Kuldeep Yadav (10 wickets)