Chetna Bhardwaj and Amit Sana are out of Indian Idol: Legends Return after a twist in Episode 9 on Saturday, November 14, 2026, and Abhijeet Sawant now has a new partner, Prajakta Shukre. After Himesh Reshammiya offered the jodis the chance to swap partners, Chetna said she was not comfortable with the song choices and scales she was singing with Abhijeet and wanted to quit. Because the show is built around jodis (pairs), that left Chetna and Amit, the two singers without partners, out of the show. With one jodi fewer, the scoring changed in the middle of the episode, from a top mark of 110 to 100.
Last updated on November 14, 2026, after Episode 9. This page covers the twist and the six performances of the episode. We have not found a statement from Sony or the singers yet, and we will update this page when there is one. The full billboard follows separately.
Indian Idol Legends Return Episode 9 Quick Answers
- Who is out: Chetna Bhardwaj and Amit Sana. See what happened.
- Why: Chetna said she was not comfortable with the song choices and scales with Abhijeet and wanted to quit.
- New pair: Abhijeet Sawant and Prajakta Shukre, who were both in Season 1.
- Scoring change: the top mark dropped from 110 to 100 mid-episode. See why the scoring changed.
- Episode 9 top scores: Nihal and Senjuti scored 110 out of 110, and Ashish and Sayli scored 100 out of 100 after the change. See the scores.
- Jodis left: 11 of the original 12.
What Happened in Indian Idol Legends Return Episode 9
The episode began with performances by four jodis, and two more followed after the twist. Himesh Reshammiya (HR) then gave the contestants the option to swap partners, and he asked Abhijeet Sawant whether he was ready to swap. The game changed when Abhijeet’s partner Chetna said that she was not comfortable with the choice of songs and scales with Abhijeet, and that she wanted to quit the show.
Indian Idol: Legends Return is a competition between jodis, and a jodi cannot continue with one singer. Abhijeet teamed up with Prajakta Shukre instead, which left Amit Sana, who had been Prajakta’s partner, and Chetna without partners, and both moved out of the show.
This is the first exit of the season. Before Episode 9, the first elimination was expected to go to the jodi with the lowest billboard score. On our scorecard page, Abhijeet and Chetna (392) and Prajakta and Amit (379) were the bottom two jodis after Episode 8, before any HR cuts for Episodes 7 and 8, which have not been shown yet.
Indian Idol Legends Return Episode 9 Scores
These are the six performances of Episode 9. The first four were marked out of 110 by the other jodis. After the scoring change, the last two, by Ashish and Sayli and by Ankush and Sireesha, were marked out of 100, so the scores are not directly comparable.
| Jodi | Song | Score |
| Abhijeet Sawant and Chetna Bhardwaj | Ve Kamleya | 95 out of 110 |
| Swaroopp Khan and Ritika Raj | Beedi Jalaile | 107 out of 110 |
| Nihal Tauro and Senjuti Das | Prem Mol Liya | 110 out of 110 |
| Prajakta Shukre and Amit Sana | Albela Sajan Aayo Re | Not confirmed |
| Ashish Kulkarni and Sayli Kamble | Saajan Tere Aane Se Sawan Aaya Hai | 100 out of 100 |
| Ankush Bhardwaj and Sireesha Bhagavatula | Haye Rama Ye Kya Hua | 96 out of 100 |
- Nihal Tauro and Senjuti Das scored a perfect 110 out of 110, their first full marks. Earlier they had scored 98, 109, 100 and 105.
- Swaroopp Khan and Ritika Raj scored 107, after 110, 105, 96 and 109 in their earlier performances.
- Abhijeet Sawant and Chetna Bhardwaj scored 95 with Ve Kamleya, their lowest of the season apart from 91 in Episode 3.
- Prajakta Shukre and Amit Sana sang Albela Sajan Aayo Re. We have not confirmed their score.
- Ashish Kulkarni and Sayli Kamble scored full marks, 100 out of 100, with Saajan Tere Aane Se Sawan Aaya Hai, the second last performance. It was their fourth full-marks performance in a row after 110, 110 and 110.
- Ankush Bhardwaj and Sireesha Bhagavatula closed the episode with Haye Rama Ye Kya Hua and scored 96 out of 100. Their earlier scores were 104, 98, 103 and 99.
We will add these Episode 9 scores to the billboard on our scorecard page separately.
Why Did the Scoring Change From 110 to 100?
Each jodi is scored out of 10 by every other jodi, so the top mark was 110 when 11 jodis marked each performance. With Chetna and Amit leaving, and Abhijeet and Prajakta forming one jodi, 11 jodis remain. Each jodi is now marked by 10 rivals, so the top mark is 100, and the last two performances of the episode were marked on that scale. For how HR’s marks work, see our judges, host and format guide.
Who Are Abhijeet, Chetna, Prajakta and Amit?
- Abhijeet Sawant won Season 1 of Indian Idol and had been paired with Chetna Bhardwaj.
- Chetna Bhardwaj was a Season 11 top 10 finalist.
- Prajakta Shukre finished fourth in Season 1 and had been paired with Amit Sana.
- Amit Sana was the Season 1 runner-up.
Meet all 24 returning singers in our contestants list with photos.
What Happens Next on Indian Idol Legends Return?
- The new pair: Abhijeet Sawant and Prajakta Shukre will perform as a jodi from here.
- The billboard: we will update our scorecard and billboard page after Sony shows how the new pair and the Episode 9 scores fit into the billboard.
- Next episode: Indian Idol: Legends Return airs Saturday and Sunday at 8 PM IST on Sony Entertainment Television, with episodes on Sony LIV.
For the earlier episodes, read our Episode 5 scores and songs and Episode 6 scores and billboard articles, and see what else is on this week in our reality TV schedule.
Indian Idol Legends Return Episode 9 FAQ
Who got eliminated from Indian Idol Legends Return in Episode 9?
Chetna Bhardwaj and Amit Sana moved out of the show in Episode 9, after Chetna said she wanted to quit.
Why did Chetna Bhardwaj quit Indian Idol Legends Return?
Chetna said she was not comfortable with the choice of songs and scales with Abhijeet Sawant, and that she wanted to quit.
Why did Amit Sana leave Indian Idol Legends Return?
Because the show is built around jodis, and Abhijeet teamed up with Prajakta Shukre, Amit and Chetna were left without partners and moved out.
Who is Abhijeet Sawant’s new partner?
Prajakta Shukre. Both were in Season 1 of Indian Idol.
Why did the scoring change from 110 to 100?
Each jodi is marked by every other jodi. With one jodi fewer, 11 jodis remain, so each jodi is marked by 10 rivals and the top mark is 100.
How many jodis are left on Indian Idol Legends Return?
11 of the original 12.
Who scored full marks in Episode 9?
Nihal Tauro and Senjuti Das scored 110 out of 110 with Prem Mol Liya, and Ashish Kulkarni and Sayli Kamble scored 100 out of 100 with Saajan Tere Aane Se Sawan Aaya Hai after the scoring change.
What did Ankush and Sireesha score in Episode 9?
96 out of 100 with Haye Rama Ye Kya Hua, the last performance of the episode.
What did Abhijeet and Chetna score in Episode 9?
95 out of 110 with Ve Kamleya.
Who is the judge of Indian Idol Legends Return?
Himesh Reshammiya.
When does Indian Idol Legends Return air?
Saturday and Sunday at 8 PM IST on Sony Entertainment Television, with episodes on Sony LIV.
The jodi cards are made by ReadersFusion from Indian Idol, Sony TV promotional images and Wikimedia Commons photos. Photo credits: Abhijeet Sawant by Yugbodh (CC BY-SA 3.0); Amit Sana by Garg.ankit38 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Prajakta Shukre by Bollywood Hungama (CC BY 3.0), all via Wikimedia Commons and cropped. Chetna Bhardwaj is an Indian Idol, Sony TV promotional image.
Note on the scores: We noted the scores and the events of Episode 9 from the broadcast. The song names are as noted, the last two scores are out of 100, and some spellings may differ from Sony’s official titles. We will correct anything that Sony’s official scoreboards show differently.
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