5 big-money signings who flopped in IPL 2026 ft. Liam Livingstone  

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 had a lot of big-money signings right off the mini-auction that was held a couple of months before the start of the campaign. With limited spots and a lavish purse, franchises went all-out for their targets, leading to multiple bidding wars and some high-value signings.

Some of the signings were able to deal with the price-tag pressure and justify the amount, or atleast show promising signs for the future as a long-term prospect. Players like Kartik Sharma, Jason Holder, Josh Inglis, and Venkatesh Iyer, are a few examples who proved their worth to some extent.

However, there is a small section of players from the IPL 2026 Auction who made massive headlines with their price tag, but were unable to bring the performances on the field.

On that note, let us take a look at the five big-money signings who flopped in IPL 2026.

#1 Liam Livingstone

The England all-rounder triggered a massive bidding war on the auction floor between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The former eventually made the winning bid of ₹13 crore, leading to several feeling that he would be an integral member of the playing XI.

However, with SRH trusting newcomer Salil Arora for the middle-order role, and all of the other overseas spots largely occupied, Liam Livingstone was confined to the bench for almost the entirety of the season. He made only two appearances in the entire campaign, scoring 14 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 60.00.

#2 Auqib Nabi

Touted as one of the biggest uncapped talents ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction after coming on the back of a stunning domestic season, it was no surprise that Auqib Nabi’s name kick-started a massive bidding war. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer eventually went to the Delhi Capitals (DC) for a massive price tag of ₹8.40 crore from a base price of ₹30 Lakh.

Amid Mitchell Starc’s absence in the first half of the season, Auqib Nabi was touted to play a massive role in DC’s season. However, he struggled for opportunities initially, and could not make the most of the chances he availed later on. The pacer ended up playing five matches, in which he failed to take a single wicket. He conceded 149 runs off the 13 overs he bowled at an economy rate of 11.46.

#3 Rahul Chahar

While the wrist spinner was not exactly a big-money signing per se at ₹5.20 crores, he was among the most expensive acquisitions that CSK made during the mini auction. Considering CSK needed a major spin overhaul after Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin’s departures, the experience of Rahul Chahar, coupled with the conditions at the Chepauk, made it seem like it was a perfect match.

However, he ended up making just one appearance in the entire season, where he conceded 46 runs off four overs without any wickets against his former franchise, the Punjab Kings (PBKS), and was subsequently benched. CSK stuck with the overseas spin duo of Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad for the remainder of the season, with Chahar not being part of the plans since.

#4 Prashant Veer

While countless uncapped Indian players made the most of the platform that IPL 2026 offered, Prashant Veer, unfortunately, was not among them. Signed by CSK for a staggering ₹14.20 crore at the IPL 2026 Auction, the left-handed youngster could not quite make an impression as expected.

CSK could not get Prashant Veer’s role in the playing XI locked down as he was primarily used as a pure batter in the lower middle order in the limited chances he got. Despite being an all-rounder, and bowling a fair share in the domestic circuit, Veer only got two overs to bowl in the entire season.

With the bat, he made a solid initial impression with a bright cameo against RCB at the Chinnaswamy, but fizzled away soon after. The youngster scored 90 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 134.33.

#5 Cameron Green

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder came into the IPL 2026 under tremendous price-tag pressure after he broke the record for the most expensive bid for an overseas player. Signed up for a staggering sum of ₹25.20 crore, Cameron Green had a rough start to the season.

The prospect of him not justifying his price tag became a constant topic of debate as he scored only 56 runs across the first five matches at an average of 14.00 as KKR endured a winless first half in IPL 2026. His unavailability as a bowler for the initial games also did not help his case.

Although he turned things around with a much better second half, comparatively, he still had a poor campaign considering his steep price tag. The Australian finished the season with 322 runs in 14 matches at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 145.70. With the ball, he picked up seven wickets, while bowling only 22 overs, 16 overs fewer than what he chipped in for MI in his debut season.