Weeks can make or break a career when every match feels like a battle. Tougher than most see, the Indian Premier League pushes players beyond usual limits. Fresh faces arrive each season, shifting how teams play without warning. Roles change fast, sometimes overnight, leaving little room for comfort. Pressure builds quietly at first, then overwhelms those unready. Few manage steady performances amid such chaos; those who do stand apart. Reputation means nothing if today’s game isn’t won.

Year after year, a few athletes keep delivering.

Yet others struggle to match past performances. IPL 2026 showed well-known names, once central last season, who sharply dipped in output. Shifts in duties, shaky belief, physical setbacks, or uneven timing all played parts. Expectations loom large; results did not follow. Performance slipped without warning.

Here are five players who enjoyed impressive IPL 2025 campaigns but endured disappointing seasons in IPL 2026 :

1. Nicholas Pooran(LSG)

Nicholas Pooran stood tall when Lucknow Super Giants struggled through a lackluster IPL 2025 run.

Hitting fast right from the first ball, he racked up 524 runs across 14 knocks. With every boundary, his name stayed near the top of the Orange Cap race. While others faltered, his bat kept humming steadily.

Pooran’s troubles began long before the first ball was bowled. Coming off weak showings in both the SA20 and ILT20, confidence never really took hold. Right away, things went downhill once IPL 2026 kicked off. Eight games passed without much reward, just 82 runs on the board.

Even though he played a bit better toward the end, it did not change much. His total came to only 234 runs, averaging 18.00, and LSG still wound up last on the ladder.

2. Aiden Markram(LSG)

Aiden Markram made waves during IPL 2025. Teaming up with Mitchell Marsh at the top, his bat sang through fifty-plus innings. Nearly 150 in strike rate, he piled on 445 runs. LSG leaned heavily on him when shadows stretched across the field.

Life looked nothing like before during IPL 2026. Shifting spots in the lineup broke his flow, sometimes starting at the top, other times buried down at five. Each switch seemed to chip away at his sureness, game after game.

His performance wavered under the moving targets.

Out of twelve games, just 231 runs came his way – a tally that settled at 25.67 per dismissal. Not one fifty appeared on the scorecard, even once.

3. Dewald Brevis (CSK)

Bursting into the Chennai Super Kings setup halfway through IPL 2025, Dewald Brevis wasted no time proving his worth. Six games were all it took for the young South African to pile up 225 runs – fueled by a blistering strike rate of 180. That explosive start lit a quiet belief: maybe, just maybe, CSK had found their next go-to finisher.

Still, things did not go as planned during IPL 2026. Momentum slipped through Brevis’s fingers each time he stepped up. Each attempt at a strong performance fizzled out quietly throughout the season. Only twice did his score climb past 30 runs. Not once did he reach fifty.

Frustration lingered long after the last match when Brevis finished with just 151 runs across 11 turns, averaging 18.88 – a tough stretch not only for him but also for the team backing him.

4. Jasprit Bumrah (MI)

Nobody has stayed so steady on the IPL stage quite like Jasprit Bumrah. Leading Mumbai Indians once again, he tore through lineups in 2025, not just with pace but precision too, racking up 18 dismissals. His ability to land each delivery right where it needed to go sets him apart from the rest. While others swung wildly for breakthroughs, he stuck to his rhythm, delivering spell after calm spell. Eighteen scalps tell part of the story; how he collected them tells more.

This season didn’t go as planned. Five games passed without a single wicket. Momentum never swung its way after that start. The sharp bursts he once delivered under pressure just didn’t show up when needed most.
Four wickets were all he managed, ending a streak of ten-plus dismissals for the first time in over ten years during an IPL campaign.

5.Trent Boult(MI)

Trent Boult arrived at IPL 2026 fresh off a standout season – 22 wickets tucked under his belt, alongside a fiery fast-bowling duo that rattled batters all tournament. Though numbers tell part of it, rhythm carried him more than stats ever could.

Out of luck, the New Zealand fast bowler never found his rhythm again. Few chances came his way, then when they did, the performances fizzled out quickly. Just five games on the board, two wickets next to his name – and runs leaking past at more than eleven an over.

Bowling once looked easy for him, yet IPL 2026 showed a clear step back from those earlier days. Though fans expected sharp spells, his performance dipped noticeably that season. Where rhythm used to flow, now hesitation crept in between deliveries. He’d dominated leaderboards before, but this time, runs came too freely. Confidence seemed shaken, even if effort stayed high. Moments of past brilliance appeared faded under new pressure.

One more time, the 2026 IPL showed how tough franchise cricket really is. A strong year means nothing if the next one falls apart; Name or history doesn’t matter.

Nicholas Pooran might need patience. Aiden Markram could look back at timing. Form dips happen, even when you’ve appeared before. Dewald Brevis still has room, though eyes are watching. Jasprit Bumrah’s rhythm slipped – speed stays, but control wavered. Boult found the edges sharper than the results. Each now faces the quiet work of return.