The IPL 2026 Mini Auction was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, ahead of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League, and witnessed intense bidding from all ten franchises. The seven-hour-long auction saw 77 players sold out of 156 shortlisted, including 29 overseas players and 48 Indian cricketers. A total of ₹215.45 crore was spent, making it one of the most competitive mini-auctions in IPL history.
The IPL 2026 season is scheduled to begin on March 26, 2026.
IPL 2026 Mini Auction: Key Highlights
- Venue: Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Duration: Around 7 hours
- Players under auction: 156
- Players sold: 77
- Overseas players: 29
- 🇮🇳 Indian players: 48
- Total money spent: ₹215.45 crore
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Auction Analysis
Chennai Super Kings entered the auction with a purse of ₹43.40 crore. CSK aggressively bid for Cameron Green, but eventually lost the bidding war to Kolkata Knight Riders. After that, the franchise shifted focus towards uncapped Indian talent.
Players Bought by CSK
- Prashant Veer – ₹14.20 crore
- Kartik Sharma – ₹14.20 crore
- Rahul Chahar – ₹5.20 crore
- Matt Henry – ₹2 crore
- Akel Hussain – ₹2 crore
- Matthew Short – ₹1.50 crore
- Sarfaraz Khan – ₹75 lakh
- Zachary Fox – ₹75 lakh
- Aman Khan – ₹30 lakh
Total spent on two uncapped players: ₹28.40 crore
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Retained Players (CSK)
MS Dhoni (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Shripal Singh
Delhi Capitals (DC) Auction Analysis
Delhi Capitals entered the auction with ₹21.80 crore and made one of the smartest buys by acquiring David Miller for just ₹2 crore. DC also focused on strengthening their bowling attack.
Players Bought by DC
- Aqib Nabi – ₹8.40 crore
- Pathum Nissanka – ₹4 crore
- Lungi Ngidi – ₹2 crore
- Kyle Jamieson – ₹2 crore
- Ben Duckett – ₹2 crore
- David Miller – ₹2 crore
- Prithvi Shaw – ₹75 lakh
- Sahil Parikh – ₹30 lakh
Retained Players (DC)
KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (c), Karun Nair, Abhishek Porel (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Nitish Rana, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Auction Analysis
KKR entered the mini auction with the highest purse of ₹64.30 crore and made headlines by spending ₹43.20 crore on just two players.
Top Buys by KKR
- Cameron Green – ₹25.20 crore
- Matheesha Pathirana – ₹18 crore
- Mustafizur Rahman – ₹9.20 crore
Retained Players (KKR)
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Umran Malik
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Lucknow Super Giants kept a balanced approach and spent ₹22.35 crore in total.
New Players
- Josh Inglis – ₹8.60 crore
- Mukul Chaudhary – ₹2.60 crore
- Akshat Raghuvanshi – ₹2.20 crore
- Anrich Nortje – ₹2 crore
- Wanindu Hasaranga – ₹2 crore
- Naman Tiwari – ₹1 crore
Retained Players (LSG)
Rishabh Pant (wk & c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan
Mumbai Indians (MI): Smart Budget Buys
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians entered the auction with the lowest purse of ₹2.75 crore, yet managed to grab a blockbuster deal.
New Players (MI)
- Quinton de Kock – ₹1 crore
- Mayank Rawat – ₹30 lakh
- Danish Malewar – ₹30 lakh
- Atharva Ankolekar – ₹30 lakh
- Mohammad Izhar – ₹30 lakh
Retained Players (MI)
Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Rajasthan Royals entered with ₹16.05 crore and made Ravi Bishnoi their costliest buy.
New Players (RR)
- Ravi Bishnoi – ₹7.20 crore
- Adam Milne – ₹2.40 crore
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
RCB finally secured Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore, after missing out in previous auctions.
New Players (RCB)
- Venkatesh Iyer – ₹7 crore
- Jacob Duffy – ₹2 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
SRH focused largely on uncapped players while making Liam Livingstone their marquee signing.
New Players (SRH)
- Liam Livingstone – ₹13 crore
- Jack Edwards – ₹3 crore
Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT made their first purchase late in the auction.
New Players (GT)
- Jason Holder – ₹7 crore
- Tom Banton – ₹2 crore
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
PBKS had limited slots and spent cautiously.
New Players (PBKS)
- Cooper Connolly – ₹3 crore
- Ben Dwarshuis – ₹4.40 crore
Most Expensive Players – IPL 2026 Mini Auction
- 🥇 Cameron Green – ₹25.20 crore (KKR)
- 🥈 Matheesha Pathirana – ₹18 crore (KKR)
Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s previous record.
Conclusion
The IPL 2026 Mini Auction showcased aggressive bidding, smart budget buys, and strong faith in young Indian talent. Teams like KKR and CSK went big, while MI impressed with value-for-money signings. With squads nearly locked in, fans can now look forward to an exciting IPL 2026 starting March 26.
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