Sanju Samson slams 115* against Delhi Capitals:T20 WC champions’ performances: Varun highly expensive, Bumrah goes wicketless

A total of 18 matches have been completed in the 19th season of the IPL and fans have closely followed the performances of players who helped India win the T20 World Cup. Many of these players are now representing different franchises in the league. While a few players have delivered strong performances, several big names are struggling to find form. This has created a mixed picture for India’s World Cup-winning stars in the ongoing tournament. On Saturday, there was some good news as Sanju Samson scored a brilliant century, while his opening partner Abhishek Sharma played an explosive knock of 74 runs. However, key bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah are still searching for wickets, and all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel have not made much impact so far. Sanju Samson slams 115* vs Delhi, Abhishek Sharma scores 74 runs vs Punjab In 18 matches so far, 22 players from 10 teams have opened the batting. Among them, World Cup players Abhishek Sharma (SRH) and Sanju Samson (CSK) have made strong comebacks after poor starts. Abhishek scored only 55 runs in his first three matches. However, he bounced back with a quickfire 74 off 28 balls against Punjab, hitting 8 sixes and 5 fours. He now has 129 runs and is the fifth-best opener in the tournament. Sanju Samson also struggled initially, scoring just 22 runs in his first three games. But on Saturday, he smashed an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls against Delhi, including 15 fours and 4 sixes. He now has 137 runs and is the third-best opener. Rajasthan’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal currently occupy the top two spots among openers. Ishan Kishan scored one half-century in middle-order A total of 39 players have batted in the middle order (positions 3 to 5), and 11 of them have scored over 100 runs. However, only one Indian from the World Cup-winning team features in this list. Ishan, batting at number three and captaining SRH, has scored over 120 runs with one fifty. He made 80 runs in his first match against RCB, but managed only 42 runs in the next three games. He currently ranks ninth among middle-order batters. Suryakumar Yadav has struggled, scoring just 73 runs without a single fifty, though his strike rate is above 155. Tilak Varma has had an even worse run, managing only 34 runs with no sixes and falling outside the top 20. Meanwhile, Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) and Dhruv Jurel (RR) lead the middle-order charts. From Hardik Pandya to Axar Patel: All-rounders fail to impress All-rounders Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya have not been able to perform well this season. Axar has scored just 2 runs in four matches but has taken 3 wickets while maintaining an economy under 8, placing him ninth among spinners. Hardik Pandya has struggled in both batting and bowling. Despite a strike rate of around 160, he has not crossed 30 runs and has taken only one wicket, conceding runs at an economy above 11. Washington Sundar, however, has shown promise. Although he has only one wicket, he has scored 77 runs with one fifty at a strike rate of 154, ranking 14th among middle-order batters. Mixed IPL season for Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh Among finishers, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh have had mixed results. Out of 49 players batting at positions 6 to 8, only 12 have scored 30-plus runs. Shivam Dube has scored 89 runs at a strike rate of 164.81, ranking third in strike rate. He has hit 4 sixes and 9 fours, placing fourth in six-hitting and first in fours. Rinku Singh has scored 72 runs in four matches but with a strike rate of just 135. He has hit only one six and ranks eighth among finishers in terms of strike rate. Varun highly expensive, Kuldeep shines with 3 wickets Varun Chakravarthy, who took 14 wickets in the World Cup, has struggled badly in IPL 2026. Among 30 spinners, he is at the bottom of the list. He played only 2 out of 4 matches, conceding 79 runs in 6 overs with an economy above 13. He could not complete his full quota and missed the remaining matches due to injury. Kuldeep Yadav, who played just one World Cup match, has taken 3 wickets in 4 IPL games but with an economy close to 10. Rajasthan’s Ravi Bishnoi and SRH’s Harshit Rana are leading the wicket charts among spinners. Bumrah goes wicketless, Arsdeep delivers economical spells Jasprit Bumrah, who also took 14 wickets in the World Cup, has not taken a single wicket in 3 IPL matches. However, his economy of 8 is among the best for pacers who have bowled more than 4 overs. Arshdeep Singh has taken only 2 wickets in 4 matches, both in a single game, and has an economy above 10.50. Mohammed Siraj has also struggled, taking just 2 wickets in 3 matches with an economy of 11.5. Among pacers, Chennai’s Anshul Kamboj and Gujarat’s Prasidh Krishna are currently leading with 8 and 6 wickets respectively. Mixed IPL season so far for T20 WC champions Overall, the players who helped India win the T20 World Cup have had a mixed start to IPL 2026. While some have shown glimpses of form, many are yet to find consistency. As the tournament progresses, teams will be hoping that these experienced players regain their rhythm and make a stronger impact in the coming matches.