IPL 2026: Five players who will be making a comeback this season 

The 19th season of the Indian Premier League is set to begin on March 19, with the defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing off against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The ten franchises made plenty of changes to their squads at the auction in December as they looked to strengthen their squads. For successful sides like Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the auction was an exercise in fine-tuning, while the sides who did not fare as well in 2025 like Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders made more wholesale changes. 

Among the signings picked up in the auction are a handful of players who will be returning to franchise cricket’s biggest stage after an absence, enforced by either injury or lack of form. 

Here are five players that will be returning to the IPL in 2026:

Cameron Green (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Cameron Green has had two impressive stints in the IPL with Mumbai Indians (2023) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2024). However, the Australian all-rounder missed out on the 2025 season due to a back injury, and was not in the auction pool for the mega-auction that took place. 

Ahead of the 2026 season, Kolkata Knight Riders spent Rs. 25.20 crore to bring the 26-year-old to Eden Gardens, making him the most expensive overseas signing ever in the process. Green suffered a tough Ashes, but hopes will be high that he can play a large role in turning around KKR’s fortunes.

Sarfaraz Khan (Chennai Super Kings)

Sarfaraz Khan initially made his name on the back of strong showings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, impressing enough that he was retained by the franchise ahead of the 2018 mega-auction. However, he found the going tougher after that, and after spells at Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals, he was released ahead of the 2024 season and did not find a bidder for the next two seasons.

Always in possession of a formidable domestic record, Sarfaraz had an excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 campaign, smashing 329 runs at an average of 65.20 and strike-rate of 203.8, including a dazzling 73 from 22 balls on the morning of the auction. His performances were impressive enough that Chennai Super Kings picked him up for Rs. 75 lakh, and while he may have to battle for his spot in a busy batting-order, he will be hopeful of securing game time.

Jason Holder (Gujarat Titans)

Jason Holder has been a regular feature of the IPL, representing five different teams including most recently Rajasthan Royals in 2023. However, Holder was not able to find a taker for his services in the last two years, and he instead played for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League in 2025.

Since then, Holder has returned some impressive performances in the maroon of West Indies, and had a strong tournament as captain of St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League. This culminated in Gujarat Titans picking up for Rs. 7 crore in the auction, and with a solid World Cup campaign under his belt, he could make a telling contribution for the Titans in 2026. 

Umran Malik (Kolkata Knight Riders) 

Umran Malik burst onto the scene in IPL 2021 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, turning heads with his ability to clock speeds in excess of 150km/h. The following season he took 22 wickets at 20.18, and his performances were strong enough that he was called up to the national team as well. However, injuries caught up with him, and his performances fell away sufficiently that he was released ahead of the 2025 mega-auction.

Malik was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025, but found himself ruled out again due to injury. KKR opted to hold onto him, and with the franchise already thin on fast bowlers having lost Akash Deep, Mustafizur Rahman, and Harshit Rana, the 26-year-old has an opportunity to remind people why he was so highly rated. 

Prithvi Shaw (Delhi Capitals)

Prithvi Shaw broke into the IPL as a plucky 18-year-old with a sparkling array of strokes representing Delhi Daredevils in 2018, and would quickly prove to be an integral part of the franchise’s revival after being renamed Delhi Capitals. His stock soon rose further, with debuts in all three formats following, but Shaw’s form soon fell away. He was released by Capitals after back-to-back fallow seasons in 2023 and 2024, and he was even dropped by his domestic side, Mumbai. 

A move from Mumbai to Maharashtra, however, seems to have kickstarted a revival in Shaw’s fortunes, and some strong showings across formats were enough to convince Delhi Capitals to bring him back for Rs. 75 lakh in the auction. If he can find a spot at the top of the order and perform well, it would represent a complete turnaround in fortunes for the abundantly talented 26-year-old.

Published on Mar 24, 2026