In the IPL, hefty retention fees and auction bids are meant to secure guaranteed match-winners. But as the 2026 season unfolds, the numbers tell a very different story.

Several of the league’s highest-paid stars have struggled to justify their price tags, with poor form, injuries and limited appearances severely impacting franchise returns.

A breakdown of the “Price Per Run” and “Price Per Wicket” metrics reveals just how expensive underperformance can become in modern franchise cricket.

The calculation is simple:

Price Per Run = Total Salary divided by Total Runs Scored
Price Per Wicket = Total Salary divided by Total Wickets Taken

And for some of IPL’s biggest earners, the efficiency numbers are alarming.

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Cameron Green: ₹3.6 crore per wicket

Salary: ₹18 crore, franchise bid: ₹25,20,00,000
Output: 5 wickets, 316 Runs
Efficiency: ₹3.6 crore per wicket, ₹5.69 lakh per run

Cameron Green arrived with the valuation of a premium all-rounder, but the returns have remained limited. While franchises are willing to pay extra for impact players, five wickets across the campaign translates into one of the most expensive bowling outputs this season.

Matheesha Pathirana: ₹18 Crore Investment, Zero Return

Salary: ₹18 crore
Output: 0 wickets
Status: Injured

No statistic hurts franchises more than non-availability.

Pathirana’s injury meant the franchise effectively carried an ₹18 crore asset without receiving any on-field contribution. In a league where every match impacts playoff calculations, unavailable stars quickly become financial liabilities.

Prashant Veer: Premium Price, Limited Output

Salary: ₹14.2 crore
Output: 90 runs, 0 wickets
Efficiency: ₹15.78 lakh per run

Prashant Veer’s struggles have made him one of the least efficient high-value retentions this season.

With only 90 runs and no wickets, the franchise’s investment has yielded limited measurable impact, increasing pressure on team management ahead of future retention decisions.

Liam Livingstone: ₹86 Lakh Per Run

Salary: ₹13 crore
Matches: 2
Output: 15 runs
Efficiency: ₹86.67 lakh per run

Liam Livingstone’s campaign perfectly captures the risks associated with high-cost overseas stars.

Restricted to just two appearances, his 15 runs effectively cost the franchise nearly ₹87 lakh each, one of the steepest run-to-salary ratios in the tournament.

Kartik Sharma: Only relative bright spot

Salary: ₹14.2 crore
Output: 276 runs
Efficiency: ₹5.14 lakh per run

Among the top earners analysed, Kartik Sharma was the only player who delivered a comparatively stable return on investment.

While his numbers may not have dominated headlines, his consistency provided far stronger value relative to salary than several bigger-profile names.