So far, many big names in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) have not been able to live up to the expectations. The players whom the teams considered their strength by spending crores of rupees in the IPL 2026 auction, are proving to be ineffective in the initial matches. Its direct impact is also visible on the performance of the teams. Especially there are some expensive players, whose performance so far has been very disappointing.

These players are neither scoring runs with the bat nor showing any significant contribution in bowling. In such a situation, questions are being raised whether these players are becoming a burden for their teams? Here we are talking about the top 5 expensive players of IPL 2026.

5 most expensive players bought in IPL 2026 auction

Analyzing the early matches of the tournament, it is clear that high stakes do not always guarantee high success. The shine of the uncapped and foreign stars on which big teams like KKR to CSK had gambled seems to be fading at the moment. The situation is that these players, who receive salaries worth crores, are not able to justify their place in the playing-11.

Cameron Green was bought by KKR for a total of Rs 25.20 crore, whereas his base price was only Rs 2 crore. At the same time, KKR also spent a lot of money on Mathisha Pathirana and included him in their team for Rs 18 crore. Talking about CSK, they bought Karthik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore, whose base price was only Rs 30 lakh. After this, CSK also spent the same amount i.e. Rs 14.20 crore on Prashant Veer. At the same time, SRH bought England’s star player Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore, while his base price was Rs 2 crore.

These 5 expensive players have failed till now

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, the most expensive player in the IPL 2026 auction, has scored only 24 runs in three matches so far. However, he has not got a chance to bowl yet. Another expensive player Mathisha Pathirana has not been able to join the team due to being unfit. Karthik Sharma has scored only 25 runs in three matches, while Prashant Veer has scored 49 runs in two matches. Liam Livingstone has played only one match and has been able to score 14 runs.