New Delhi: Australia all-rounder Cameron Green failed to justify his price tag again with yet another failure in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Green, bought for Rs 25.20 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, making him the most expensive player in the history of the tournament, suffered his third successive failure as the Kolkata-based franchise was rocked by Punjab Kings (PBKS) early after skipper Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat first in overcast conditions at the Eden Gardens.

Bartlett, the Australian fast bowler, gave the visitors the perfect start by taking two wickets in the opening over. Bartlett first dismissed the dangerous Kiwi batter, Finn Allen, for six before getting the big wicket of Green for four two balls later. The right-arm pacer extracted movement off the track to induce the outside edges of both batters, who were caught behind by Prabhsimran Singh.

Green’s woeful run continues as pressure mounts on Aussie to justify price tag

Green entered the tournament as the most expensive player in the history of IPL, and it seems the pressure of the massive price tag is weighing him down. Though he showed glimpses of his ability in a 10-ball 18-run knock in the opener against the Mumbai Indians (MI), he has lasted just four balls (2 each vs the Sunrisers Hyderabad and PBKS) in the next two games.

Still not cleared to bowl due to a lower back injury, Green is also unable to make amends by contributing with the ball, making him an overvalued investment, at least based on his performances in the first three matches.

KKR need Green to step up soon

With two defeats in the opening two games and a poor start in the third fixture, KKR badly need Green to come good as a batter really soon.

Earlier, KKR skipper Rahane won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first in overcast conditions.

KKR made two changes, bringing in Rovman Powell and Navdeep Saini in place of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, making it the first instance of either spinner not playing in seven years.

KKR were 20 for 2 in 3 overs when rain stopped play at Eden Gardens. Skipper Rahane (8) and in-form youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi (2) were the unbeaten batters at the crease at the time of interruption.