Cricket Winner's flop XI of IPL 2026 — Rishabh Pant leads the disappointments

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) finished the league-stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the bottom of the points table with just four victories in 14 clashes at a net run rate of -0.740. This was the same situation with the Mumbai Indians, who earned the same number of wins at a NRR of -0.584. 

In a season, which was decorated with aggressive batters with flurry of boundaries and over boundaries and superb bowlers with number of wickets, many players flopped, having not been able to do well in their respective jobs.

We, in Cricket Winner, have picked out of the best XII of the IPL 2026, keeping in mind the negative impact of the batters and batters of this edition- 

Openers- Ruturaj Gaikwad (337 runs) & Ajinkya Rahane (237 runs)

In a modern era, when the other openers of the T20s bat at a strike rate of nearly 200, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, had a strike rate of under 100 on a few occasions. He smashed 337 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 123.44 throughout the season with only five sixes in the process. 

See Also: ‘'Don't follow me' — MS Dhoni's advice to Ruturaj Gaikwad before CSK vs SRH IPL 2026

He will be partnered at the opening spot with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, Ajinkya Rahane, who blasted on the reporters for the criticism on his strike rate. And he ended the IPL 2026 campaign with only 335 runs in 14 innings at an average of 25.76 and a struggling strike rate of 135.08. 

Middle order- Nicholas Pooran (234 runs), Suryakumar Yadav (270 runs), Rishabh Pant (312 runs)

With only 234 runs in 14 innings at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 128.86, Nicholas Pooran went though a hard time in this IPL 2026. In the first-half of the competition, his record was shocking that many claimed that he could be dropped by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management.

Suryakumar Yadav, who slammed over 700 runs in the previous edition of the event, lost his charm in the ongoing edition and finished with 270 runs in 13 innings. India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain had an average of just over 20. His strike rate of 147.54 wasn’t a problem, but he could not stay longer at the crease.  

See Also: Rishabh Pant back to Delhi Capitals? IPL 2026 reunion reports are getting loud — Here's what we know

The LSG captain, Rishabh Pant, would also lead this flop XI. The left-handed batter, who got only 312 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 138.05, failed to display his natural aggressive batting throughout the season.

Lower order- Jitesh Sharma (116 runs), Hardik Pandya (206 runs+ 4 wickets) & Axar Patel (173 runs + 11 wickets)

If there was one Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter, who couldn’t perform in IPL 2026 despite being in the XI from the beginning to the end, it was Jitesh Sharma, who collected only 116 runs in 12 innings at an average of 12.88 and a strike rate of 122.10. 

The MI captain, Hardik Pandya, went through a poor season with both bat and ball in hand. The right-handed batter got only 206 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 138.25 and picked up only four wickets at an economy rate of 11.42.

See Also: How Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav sank under Hardik Pandya's captaincy at Mumbai Indians

The Delhi Capitals captain, Axar Patel, scored 173 runs and collected 11 wickets with the ball. The left-arm spinner couldn’t show an impressive performance in the all-round department.

Bowlers- Marco Jansen (9 wickets), Kuldeep Yadav (10 wickets), and Jasprit Bumrah (4 wickets)

The left-arm pacer of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Marco Jansen, picked up nine wickets in 12 innings of the IPL 2026 at an average of 53.66 and an economy rate of 10.20. Even though he started well, the left-arm pacer couldn’t continue the same performance.

On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav went through a nightmarish campaign where he picked up only 10 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 38.10. The 37-year-old couldn’t put the ball at the right place and had an economy rate of 10.29.

See Also: Most Dot Balls in IPL History — Top 5 Bowlers of All Time Updated After IPL 2026

Jasprit Bumrah, the premier pacer of the world cricket, shockingly, is part of the flop XI. He picked up only four wickets in 13 innings of the IPL 2026 at an average of more than 100 and a strike rate of 73.50. 

Impact Player- Dewald Bevis (151 runs)/ Aiden Markram (231 runs)

Aiden Markram couldn’t do well either during the IPL 2026 and will be part of the impact player list. The LSG star managed only 231 runs in 11 innings of the competition at an average of 25.66 and a surprising strike rate of 138.32 with no fifties on his name.

Dewald Brevis hasn’t gone well in this season either. The CSK batter, who missed the first three games with injury, cracked 151 runs in eight innings at an average of below 19.

See Also: Cricket Winner IPL 2026 Team of the Tournament — Sooryavanshi opens, but who are the other 10?

Apart from these, Shivam Dube, also didn’t have a great season with the bat in IPL 2026 as he managed 270 runs. His numbers won’t tell the real story, but he failed to make the impact when it was required the most for the franchise in the death overs.

Cricket Winner’s flop XI of the IPL 2026- 

Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nicholas Pooran, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Marco Jansen, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

Impact sub- Dewald Brevis/ Aiden Markram.