What is the arc of redemption?
When you look at its exact meaning, people say that it is a narrative journey in which a character experiences significant personal growth that leads to transformation. Over the years, we have seen many instances in the IPL where players have woken up from their slumber to achieve greatness again.
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IPL 2026: COMPLETE COVERAGE
Over the years, the stories of Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, David Miller and Mohammed Siraj have often come to mind. They all had periods during their careers where they fell away before re-emerging and returning to the limelight. Some may say that this is the beauty of cricket and the IPL in general.
The IPL 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the biggest seasons in recent memory, with plenty of interesting player stories already coming into the limelight. Among them are several players who will be looking to redeem themselves this season. For some of them, it’s about finding the form that made them one of the most sought-after players in the competition. For others, it’s all about getting back on the scene and showing that they truly belong on the big stage.
IPL 2026: 5 STORIES OF POTENTIAL REDEMPTION
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant’s cricketing journey has been nothing short of spectacular. After a near-death experience in late 2022, the Indian wicketkeeper fought for his career and made a spectacular comeback to cricket. IPL 2024 served as the springboard for his comeback, where he scored 446 runs in 13 matches at an average of 40.55.
So when it was bought for Rs. 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants in the 2025 auction, normally everyone expected him to continue his form and become a regular in the Indian T20I side. But what followed was a fall that no one really understood.
Pant scored just 269 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.45. The stats look better with the hundred he scored in LSG’s last match against RCB.
Repetition is not something the LSG captain can afford and the build-up to the new season has been measured but fully covered. He started his preparations with a few sessions under Yuvraj Singh, which has changed the games of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill in recent times. Irfan Pathan revealed that more than just the technical aspects, Yuvraj worked with the keeper improve the mental side of your game.
The pants look slimmer and fitter and hungry for a run if LSG’s workouts are anything to go by. Now with the full support of LSG owners and management, this could be the season where Pant can make the IPL phase his own and put himself in contention for a return to the Indian white-ball team.
Prithvi Shaw
“If I’m not thinking about a comeback, then what’s the point? That’s why I’m playing. Who wouldn’t want to play for India? You have to be there and I’m working on it.”
These were the words of Prithvi Shaw as he prepared to re-emerge on the IPL scene. Shaw’s story is one that everyone already knows. Touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, he led the U-19 team to the World Cup title and was a vital cog for Delhi Capitals for many seasons.
But then everything started to take a turn for the worse. His off the field issues started to come into focus and it seemed to start to affect his game. The runs dried up and he scored 304 runs in 16 matches in the last two seasons.
All this led to his release from DC and no one bought him during the IPL 2025 auction. A year on the sidelines was said to be what it took to get Shaw back on his feet, and it seems to have worked well.
537 runs in seven matches in his first season for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy turned heads and seemingly convinced Delhi to have faith in him again. With Ben Duckett withdrawn from the competition, there is a chance that Shaw will get a chance to return if things go according to his plan.
Sarfaraz Khan
In fact, Sarfaraz Khan first announced himself on the IPL scene in 2015 as a young player for RCB. Many may remember when Virat Kohli was blown away by one of his knocks that he decided to bow down to the Mumbai batsman.
But since then, Sarfaraz has failed to reach double figures in terms of appearances in every season he has played. He was last part of the IPL in 2023. Since then, no one was ready to support him in the IPL despite being a regular machine in the domestic circuit.
When it looked like all hope was lost, CSK decided to deploy the Mumbai batter and have gone from strength to strength ever since.
His white-ball performances in Mumbai sent fans into a frenzy, prompting R Ashwin to claim that he must be one of the players playing XII for the five-time champions.
During the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Sarfaraz scored 329 runs in seven matches with a hundred and a strike rate of 203.08. The strike frequency was more or less the same during the VHT as well. Now it looks like Sarfaraz is ready to deliver again and will look to pull it off in CSK colours.
Yuzvenda Chahal
When it comes to IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal has always been a consistent performer. With 221 wickets from 174 matches, the leg-spinner has been a match-winner for the teams he has represented in the league so far.
However, the 2025 season did not go according to plan. Struggling with poor form and injuries, Chahal’s performance dipped, picking up 16 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 9.55.
This put him off talks of returning to the Indian team and now Chahal is ready to redeem himself. The leg-spinner said he wanted to be a role model for younger players and decided to give up alcohol. He stayed clean for the last six months, all in an effort to be ready for the IPL.
With Punjab Kings falling at the final hurdle in 2025, Chahal’s form could be the deciding factor for them to finally break the curse and become IPL champions.
Venkatesh Iyer
The pressure of the price tag in the IPL is real and Venkatesh Iyer is perhaps the perfect example of that.
Bought by KKR for Rs. 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, many things were expected from the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder. KKR made him their vice-captain but the performance never came.
With just 142 runs in 11 matches, Venkatesh found himself as one of the names released ahead of the 2026 auction. Kolkata wanted him back again, but eventually RCB got him.
The defending IPL champions were in the running for his signature even in 2025 and it seems that Andy Flower and the team management were interested in the lanky Southpaw and brought him into the side. While there are no guarantees of a starting spot for him, he could be the perfect middle-order player for Bengaluru.
With his MP teammate Rajat Patidar captaining the team, expect him to make a big impact if given an opportunity for RCB on the field.
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Published on:
March 27, 2026 12:18 PM IST
