What is a redemption arc?
When you go by the exact meaning of it, people say it is a narrative journey in which a character experiences significant personal growth, leading to a transformation. Over the years, we have seen many instances in the IPL, where players have gone on to get themselves up from a slumber to achieve greatness once again.
Over the years, the stories of Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, David Miller and Mohammed Siraj have often come to everyone’s minds. They have all had a period during their careers where they fell off before reinventing themselves and coming back into the limelight. Some may say that is the beauty of cricket and IPL in general.
The IPL 2026 season is building up to be one of the biggest seasons in recent memory, with a lot of interesting stories around players already coming to the limelight. Among them, there are a few players who will be looking to redeem themselves this season. For some of them, it is all about finding the form that made them one of the sought-after players in the competition. For others, it is all about making a comeback and showing that they truly belong on the big stage.
IPL 2026: 5 POTENTIAL REDEMPTION STORIES
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 return to cricket. IPL 2024 acted as a launch pad for his return, where he scored 446 runs in 13 matches at an average of 40.55.
So when he was bought for Rs. 27 crore by Lucknow Super Giants in the 2025 auction, normally everyone expected him to carry on the form and become a regular in India’s T20I side. But what followed was a downfall that no one could really understand.
Pant scored just 269 runs in 14 matches with an average of 24.45. The stats look better thanks to the hundred he scored in LSG’s final game against RCB.
A repeat isn’t something the LSG skipper can afford to have and the preparation for the new season has been measured, yet fully covered. He started off the preps with a few training sessions under Yuvraj Singh, something that has changed the games of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill in recent times. Irfan Pathan revealed that more than the technical aspects, Yuvraj was working with the wicketkeeper to improve the mental side of his game.
Pant looks leaner and fitter and hungry for runs, if the LSG training sessions are anything to go by. Now with the full backing of the LSG owners and management, this could be the season where Pant may make the IPL stage his own and put himself into contention for a return to the Indian white-ball team.
Prithvi Shaw
“If I don’t think about a comeback, then what’s the point? That’s why I am playing. Who doesn’t want to play for India? You have to be there, and I am working towards that.”
These were the words of Prithvi Shaw as he geared up to feature on the IPL stage once again. The story of Shaw is one that everyone knows by now. Labelled as the next big thing in Indian cricket, guided the U-19 team to a 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-field issues started to take centre stage and it seemingly started to have an effect on his game. The runs dried up and his last two seasons have seen him score 304 runs in 16 matches.
All of this led to his release from DC and he wasn’t bought by anyone during the IPL 2025 auction. A year on the sidelines was said to be something that was needed for Shaw to get back on his feet again and it seems to have worked well.
537 runs in seven matches in his first season for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy made heads turn and it seemingly convinced Delhi to trust in him once again. Following the withdrawal of Ben Duckett from the competition, there is a chance Shaw will get his chance to make a return if things do go according to his plan.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan actually announced himself on the IPL stage first in 2015 as a young player for RCB. Many might remember this when Virat Kohli was blown away by one of his knocks that he decided to bow down before the batter from Mumbai.
But since then, Sarfaraz has failed to make it to double-digits in terms of appearances in each of the seasons he has played. The last time he was part of the IPL was back in 2023. Since then, no one was ready to back him in the IPL, despite him being a run machine on the domestic circuit.
When it seemed like all hope was lost, CSK decided to rope in the Mumbai batter and he has since gone from strength to strength.
His white-ball exploits for Mumbai got the fans buzzing and make R Ashwin claim that he has to be one of the players in the playing XII for the five-time champions.
During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, Sarfaraz scored 329 runs in seven matches with a hundred to his name and a strike-rate of 203.08. The strike rate was more or less the same during VHT as well. Now it seems like Sarfaraz is ready to deliver once again and he will be trying to pull it off in CSK colours.
Yuzvendra Chahal
When it comes to the 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.
Yet, the 2025 season wasn’t one that went according to plans. Battling poor form and injuries, Chahal’s performance dipped, picking up 16 wickets in 14 matches with an economy-rate of 9.55.
That pushed him away from talks of a return to the Indian team and now Chahal is ready to redeem himself. The leg-spinner said that he was aiming to make himself a role model for younger players and decided to give up on alcohol. He has stayed clean for the past six months, all in a bid to be ready for the IPL.
With Punjab Kings falling at the last hurdle in 2025, Chahal’s form could be the deciding factor in them finally breaking the curse and becoming IPL champions.
Venkatesh Iyer
The pressure of price tag in the IPL is real and Venkatesh Iyer maybe the perfect example of it.
Bought by KKR for Rs. 23.75 crore in IPL 2025 auction, many things were expected from the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder. KKR made him their vice-captain but the performances never arrived.
With just 142 runs in 11 matches, Venkatesh found himself to be one of the names released before the 2026 auction. Once again Kolkata wanted him back but it was RCB who got him in the end.
The defending IPL champions were vying for his signature in 2025 as well and it seems like Andy Flower and the team management was keen on the lanky southpaw and bringing him into the side. While there are no guarantees of a starting spot for him, he could be the perfect player to have in the middle-order for Bengaluru.
With his MP teammate Rajat Patidar captaining the side, expect Venkatesh to create a major impact if he gets the opportunity for RCB on the field.
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