The IPL rolled out the red carpet, but the stars didn’t show up.

We are talking about the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team members. Not too long back, they were dabbling in fame and fanfare as they helped India defend the title they won in 2024. With the spotlight glued on them, they were like superheroes returning from a victorious mission, enjoying the lemon break before they embarked on their next.

Incidentally, the next mission was the unmissable IPL, the annual pilgrimage of modern-day cricketers. It was not even a month away when Suryakumar Yadav and his team basked in glory on the night of March 8. Soon after, as the followers of cricket got busy with the ritual of predicting how IPL 2026 would treat the 10 franchises, the alignment of the World Cup-winning ‘stars’ was thought to be a key factor in determining the chances of success for a team.

So the Mumbai Indians, with the riches of many a current World Cup winner — Surya, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah — were thought to be in great shape going into the tournament.

Then, take Sanju Samson. When the world came to know that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would not be available to the Chennai Super Kings for the first few games, at least, the popular feeling was, “So what? They have Samson now.” Such was Samson’s impact in the T20 World Cup that perhaps nobody would have complained if the IPL had initiated an Impact Player Award named after him.

Similarly, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan’s presence in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team gave them a seal of superiority. Abhishek, though out of form for most of the T20 World Cup, redeemed himself somewhat in the business end, capping off his campaign with a fifty in the final. And Ishan? His resurgence to relevance in the Cup was believed to be just the prelude, pregnant with the promise of a full symphony in the IPL.

There was some apprehension about Varun Chakravarthy, as the spinner, despite finishing the Cup as the joint-highest wicket-taker with Bumrah, seemed to have lost his rhythm in the final few matches. But still, the Kolkata Knight Riders must have believed they would ride out the storm with Varun as the shield after losing multiple bowlers to injuries.

The script, however, has unfolded quite differently.

The T20 World Cup stars are yet to make their haloed presence felt in IPL 2026. Many of them are struggling, while the others have looked ordinary. Yes, it is still quite early to pass judgment, as the teams have played just two or three matches and there’s plenty of time still in the two-month-long marathon to catch up with better
numbers. But the numbers, currently, are disappointing and alarming.

In this IPL so far, Samson is averaging 7.33, Tilak 11.33, Abhishek 18.33 and Surya 24.33. The averages of Ishan (31.66) and Shivam Dube (34.50) read better, but they haven’t really made an impact. Hardik has an average of 27, but it doesn’t tell the true story as his highest score so far is 18 not out. He has taken one wicket and is costing his team over 11 runs per over.

Among the bowlers, Varun has been wicketless in the two matches he has played and has an awful economy of 13.16. Punjab Kings’ Arshdeep Singh (economy 9.90) too has no wickets from 10 overs in three games.

The biggest shocker? Bumrah’s barren wickets column after bowling 11 overs in three matches. His economy? 8.00. Not bad, not good either. And let’s not talk about the way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old baby assassin with a bat, tonked the world’s best bowler for two sixes the other day.

Should all-rounder Axar Patel of Delhi Capitals get the benefit of doubt? He has scored 2 runs in two innings, but at least has two wickets to show.

Why are the stars dim? Is it exhaustion? Because too many T20s in a short span of time can leave one as breathless as after doing too many 100m sprints on a single day. Or is it the unavoidable choke, having fed too much on success?