Top 5 IPL stars who flopped in Round 6 of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 ft. Shubman Gill

The penultimate round of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy group stage saw teams make a final push for spots on the points table. Round six of the tournament has largely gone under the radar, with all the focus on the shortest format, thanks to the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup.

Yet, fans did focus on the performances of the Indian internationals and other prominent domestic stars, with the 2026 IPL season fast-approaching. While many delivered the goods with bat and ball, the round saw several key players of the different IPL franchises struggle to live up to their billing.

On that note, let us look at the top five IPL stars who flopped in Round Six of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

#1 Shubman Gill

It is hard to look past Shubman Gill when it comes to a bigger star who endured a more torrid round of the Ranji Trophy. Having suffered a shocking exclusion from the Indian T20I side, followed by a series defeat to New Zealand in his second ODI assignment as captain, the 26-year-old did not help himself in red-ball cricket.

Leading Punjab against Saurashtra, Gill was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the first innings, batting at No.5. The right-hander could not make amends the second time around, falling for a 32-ball 14.

Gill’s struggles meant Punjab suffered a massive 194-run defeat and remained at sixth place on the Group B standings.

#2 Mohammed Siraj

Ace Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has been in excellent red-ball form with the ball over the past year. Yet, he endured a rare off-game for Hyderabad in their sixth-round clash against Mumbai.

Against a dominant Mumbai batting lineup, Siraj bowled 25 overs in the first innings, conceding 106 runs and picking up only a lone wicket. His lack of penetration resulted in Mumbai piling on a massive 560 in their first innings.

In response, Hyderabad posted only 267 and 302 (following on) in their two innings, leading to an eventual nine-wicket win for Mumbai. After scoring only seven in the first innings, Siraj showed a semblance of fight in the second with a valiant 32.

However, it was too little too late as Hyderabad remained middle of the pack at fifth in the Group D standings.

#3 Rajat Patidar

If the first two names left the Gujarat Titans (GT) fans slightly worried, the next two could do much the same for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) supporters. Leading Madhya Pradesh against Karnataka in a high-voltage contest, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar failed to score big in both innings with the willow.

The right-hander looked in excellent touch in the first innings before falling for a 49-ball 30. Yet, Madhya Pradesh still scored over 300 and took a substantial first-innings lead of 132 runs.

Come the second innings, Patidar failed to open his account and was cleaned up for a two-ball duck. Despite his failures, Madhya Pradesh has set Karnataka a daunting target of 362 for victory.

#4 Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal provided RCB fans much to cheer with his sublime performances in the recent 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, the left-hander endured a shocking outing for Karnataka against Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy sixth-round clash.

Padikkal lasted only one delivery in the first innings, falling for a golden duck in Karnataka’s woeful first innings total of 191. With much expectation the second time around, with the side chasing a mammoth 362, the 25-year-old fell for no score again off two balls.

Padikkal’s two scoreless innings in the match highlighted the unpredictability of the sport.

#5 Vipraj Nigam

Young bowling all-rounder Vipraj Nigam impressed in his maiden IPL season for the Delhi Capitals (DC) last year. His performances since have gone up and down, with the latest showing for Uttar Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy clash against Jharkhand being another addition to the latter.

The 21-year-old struggled with the ball in the first innings with figures of 1/140 in 30 overs as Jharkhand posted a massive 561/6 declared. Vipraj then failed in both innings with the bat, combining for only 19 runs, as Uttar Pradesh suffered an innings and 301-run defeat.