Is fatigue reason behind poor performance of India’s T20 World Cup winners in IPL 2026?

The performance of some of the regular players of the India cricket team in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) has been sub-par, to say the least. All members of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad who took part in the marquee event have been forced to take part in a relentless IPL campaign that lasts 2 months, with just an 18-day gap between both events.

While this hasn’t taken a toll on the batters in the cash-rich league, the heavy workload has seemingly affected the all-rounders and the bowlers and all-rounders, who have not lived up to their billing in IPL 2026.

All 15 members of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad have been working quite hard over the last year as they were gearing up for the marquee event and have been constantly on the road. The year 2026 started with a five-match series against New Zealand in January, which was followed immediately by the high-pressure World Cup.

While none of the 15 members, thankfully, sustained any injuries during the course of the tournament and thereafter in IPL 2026, it looks like fatigue has gotten to the all-rounders and bowlers majorly, while some batters like Surakumar Yadav are also impacted. The result is evident in terms of their performances in the ongoing IPL 2026.

Out-of-form bowlers and all-rounders galore

The ones who are the most affected by hectic travel, the number of matches played in a short duration of time, hours spent in practice sessions, and the strenuous workload as a result are possibly the bowlers and the all-rounders. Players like Jasprit Bumrah (3 wickets from 10 matches), Hardik Pandya (146 runs and 4 wickets from 8 matches), Axar Patel (44 runs and 10 wickets from 11 matches) are the worst affected. Their poor performances could very well be attributed to fatigue due to the aforementioned conditions.

After all, the three players were India’s go-to stars in the T20 World Cup 2026, with each one of them being match-winners in their own right. However, they have simply failed to get going in IPL 2026, leading one to wonder if they are being over-burdened.

On this list are also Shivam Dube and Kuldeep Yadav, who haven’t been that effective for CSK and DC, with bat or ball, respectively, in the ongoing season. The DC spinner is significantly less burdened as he has played just 4 games before the start of IPL 2026 and has been instrumental in partnering with Axar Patel to control the middle-overs and get crucial breakthroughs in IPL 2026. However, his wicket tally in the season doesn’t translate to the same. As for Dube, he played 14 matches before the start of IPL 2026, and this perhaps has taken a toll on his batting, as he has only managed to score 150 runs in 9 matches so far for CSK, apart from picking one wicket.

India T20 WC 2026 — IPL Form Report

T20I 2026 vs IPL 2026 · Form Rating by InsideSport

Out of Form (6)
Struggling (5)
In Form (4)

Abhishek Sharma

All-rounder · SRH

● In Form

T20I 2026

Runs323

Avg26.91

SR199.38

IPL 2026

Runs475

Avg47.5

SR210.17

Dominant across both formats. IPL SR of 210 is elite. The most in-form India batter of 2026.

Sanju Samson

Wicketkeeper · CSK

● In Form

T20I 2026

Runs367

Avg40.77

SR188.2

IPL 2026

Runs402

Avg57.42

SR167.5

Exceptional in both formats. IPL avg 57+ is outstanding for a top-order batter. A key WC asset.

Ishan Kishan

Wicketkeeper · SRH

● In Form

T20I 2026

Runs532

Avg40.92

SR207

IPL 2026

Runs409

Avg37.18

SR186.75

Top T20I scorer in the group (532 runs, SR 207). IPL form also strong. India’s most destructive opener in 2026.

● Struggling

T20I 2026

Runs115

Avg28.75

SR132.18

IPL 2026

Runs237

Avg59.25

SR145.39

IPL avg 59.25 flatters but SR of 145 and T20I SR of 132 are below the standard expected of a finisher. Not firing at his explosive best in either format.

Washington Sundar

All-rounder · GT

● In Form

T20I 2026

Runs11

Wkts0

Econ8.83

IPL 2026

Runs246

Avg41

SR152.79

T20I sample too small to judge. IPL batting is outstanding — 246 runs at avg 41. An underrated form story of IPL 2026.

● Struggling

T20I 2026

Runs207

Avg29.57

SR154.47

IPL 2026

Runs204

Avg22.66

SR154.54

Strike rate is consistent (~154 across both), but IPL avg 22.66 suggests he’s not converting starts. Reliable but not explosive.

Mohammed Siraj

Bowler · GT

● Struggling

12 IPL wickets shows consistent threat with ball. Economy rises in franchise conditions — typical for pacers. Solid overall.

Varun Chakaravarthy

Bowler · KKR

● Struggling

T20I 2026

Wkts18

Econ9.18

18 T20I wickets is hard to ignore. Economy is a concern across both formats but wickets at this volume make the trade-off acceptable.

Arshdeep Singh

Bowler · PBKS

● Struggling

T20I 2026

Wkts17

Econ9.17

IPL 2026

Wkts11

Econ10.42

17 T20I wickets saves him from a Bad rating. IPL economy of 10.42 is a concern — batters reading him better in franchise cricket. Needs to tighten up.

Suryakumar Yadav (C)

Batter · MI

● Out of Form

T20I 2026

Runs484

Avg44

SR161.33

IPL 2026

Runs195

Avg19.5

SR145.52

T20I form is strong (avg 44, SR 161). But IPL avg 19.5 and SR 145 — well below his own 160+ benchmark — reveal a captain badly out of touch in franchise cricket.

Jasprit Bumrah

Bowler · MI

● Out of Form

T20I 2026

Wkts18

Econ7.34

The starkest contrast in the group. Brilliant in T20Is (18 wkts, econ 7.34) but just 3 IPL wickets at 8.89 — likely workload-managed but numbers are alarming.

Axar Patel (VC)

All-rounder · DC

● Out of Form

T20I 2026

Runs21

Wkts15

Econ8.61

IPL 2026

Runs44

SR74.57

Wkts10

Bowling is functional but batting SR of 74.57 in IPL is alarming. As vice-captain and No. 6/7, the lack of lower-order firepower is a genuine concern.

Hardik Pandya

All-rounder · MI

● Out of Form

T20I 2026

Runs286

Wkts13

Econ8.69

IPL 2026

Runs146

Avg20.85

Wkts4

Econ11.9

T20I numbers are acceptable but IPL regression is clear — 4 wickets at econ 11.9 and batting avg 20.85. Classic Hardik underdelivery in franchise cricket.

Shivam Dube

All-rounder · CSK

● Out of Form

T20I 2026

Runs352

SR189.24

Econ12.55

IPL 2026

Runs150

SR140.18

Econ12.33

T20I batting is superb but IPL tells a different story — SR drops 50 points, and bowling economy of 12.33 across both formats is the biggest concern in the squad.

Kuldeep Yadav

Bowler · DC

● Out of Form

Poor across both formats. Only 12 combined wickets and IPL econ 10.66 is the worst among all bowlers in this squad. His worst IPL season — a genuine WC selection headache.

No problems for batters

Barring captain Suryakumar Yadav, most of India’s batters from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad have been quite decent in IPL 2026, stepping up for their respective teams. Player of the Tournament in the marquee event, Sanju Samson, is the leading run-getter and a legit match-winner for CSK with a couple of centuries already to his name. Abhishek Sharma is at his very best once again and is second in the Orange Cap race. Ishan Kishan has 409 runs to his name so far.

The only all-rounder from the T20 WC squad who has done well in IPL 2026 (specifically with the bat) has been Washington Sundar. The Tamil Nadu star has been economical and is instrumental in providing vital off-spin depth in the powerplay and middle overs for GT. He has scored 246 runs in 11 matches, at a strike rate of above 150 and an average of 41.

Tilak Varma, Siraj among decent performers

Mohammed Siraj, who was named as Harshit Rana’s replacement at the last minute in the T20 WC squad, has been decent, having bagged 12 wickets thus far, while Arshdeep Singh has 11 wickets to his name. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma struggled since returning from injury layoff before T20 WC, and barring a magnificent century, his IPL 2026 numbers are quite poor. Varun Chakravarthy, who had a sensational run during the group stage of the T20 WC and then faced lack of wickets in the knockout stages, has been spearheading the KKR spin attack and recently crossed the 100-wicket mark for the franchise.

SKY fall

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been the most disappointing among the rest of the batters from the Indian T20 World Cup-winning squad in IPL 2026. While he scored 242 runs in the marquee event, with his best knock coming against the USA in the group stage, his performance in the IPL 2026 has been the biggest let-down. After a good performance in IPL 2025, Surya struggled with the bat for the rest of the year, leading up to the WC, in addition to the fact that he was also nursing a wrist injury.

Things went from bad to worse in IPL 2026, scoring just 195 runs in the first 10 matches at a miserable average of 19.50. Short-pitched deliveries remain his major concern, and he is yet to break out of the shackles.

And, to add to his misery, reports claim that the BCCI and the selectors are looking to move on from him as captain in T20Is, with Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson emerging as the alternatives. With Iyer breathing down his neck for the number 4 spot and SKY under-performing consistently, it remains to be seen what is in store for the star batter’s future.

Number of games behind dip in form?

However, when we talk about the dipping form of some of the members of the T20 WC squad, it is also important to consider if they have been overburdened within a short period of time. In other words, have they played too many matches without adequate breaks, leading to a dip in their performances? Let’s take a look at how many matches the all-rounders and bowlers of the T20 WC squad played before IPL 2026 this year.

From the aforementioned data, it is clear that players like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah – who need careful workload management – are quite literally burdened by the packed schedule over the last 5 months, and the result is them not being at their best. Same goes for players like Arshdeep and Axar as well. Not to forget, many players on this list are multi-format stars as well, which means their workload is more than the numbers mentioned in the table above. Is this excessive workload the main reason for their performances in IPL 2026, or is it just a dip in form?

No smooth path ahead

Right after IPL 2026, the Indian side will have quite literally no break before diving into their next assignments. A one-off Test and 3 ODIs vs AFG in June, a five-match T20I and 3-match ODI series vs ENG in July, is what will follow. Therefore, it leaves very little time for the Indian team regulars in the IPL to recuperate after a hectic season and what has been a hectic year already.