IPL 2026: 5 Players Who Have Flopped After a Promising First Week
IPL 2026’s opening week was action packed, where teams were engaged in close encounters. A couple of players have put up a good show, but there are quite a few who disappointed with their below-par performances.
They started the season expecting great things from themselves; however, till now, they have not been able to live up to their expectations. This is just the beginning of the league, and it's too early to be disheartened, but they definitely need to pull up their socks.
Right from Sanju Samson’s poor batting display for CSK to Varun Chakaravarthy’s lackluster bowling performance, IPL 2026 has seen quite a few big names underperform. Here are the top 5 players who have struggled in the opening week of the IPL 2026.
5 Big Players Who Had a Poor Start in IPL 2026’s First Week
5. Arshdeep Singh
This season, Arshdeep Singh has been very disappointing for his team. In all two matches that Punjab Kings played, Arshdeep Singh has performed disappointingly, giving away more runs and not taking any wicket in both matches. As he is expected to be leading the team's bowling, he must work hard.
| Tournament | Team | Matches | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | PBKS | 3 | 3 | 60 | 99 | 0 | 9.90 |
4. Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy hasn’t been effective so far. He has given away runs and failed to pick wickets. KKR is still backing him, but he needs to find his form soon.
| Tournament | Team | Matches | Balls | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | KKR | 2 | 36 | 79 | 0 | 13.16 |
3. Sanju Samson
The other Indian batsman to struggle with his bat is Sanju Samson. Although the player had done well for India, many were looking for great scores from him. However, Sanju has scored 6, 7, and 9 runs in three matches.
| Tournament | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | CSK | 3 | 22 | 9 | 7.33 | 115.78 |
2. KL Rahul
KL Rahul has had a very disappointing start. He has scored just 1 run in two matches. As a senior player, the team needs him to perform better and build the innings.
| Tournament | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | DC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.50 | 25.00 |
1. Cameron Green
Green isn't making any big contributions right now. He's just returned from injury, and this has been reflected in his play. Batting-wise, he hasn't done too well, neither has he bowled too much. It would be hoped that he does better in the future matches.
| Tournament | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | KKR | 3 | 24 | 18 | 8.00 | 171.42 |
