The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction concluded on 16 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where all ten franchises finalised their squads for the upcoming season. Ahead of the March-to-May tournament, teams used the mini-auction to fill remaining slots after retention lists were submitted earlier in November 2025. A total of 1,355 players registered for the auction, with 369 shortlisted and 77 ultimately sold across the ten franchises.
The auction featured record bids and key strategic signings. Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history, while uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma drew major bids. A total of 79 players went unsold, finalising the auction process and confirming the full squad compositions for IPL 2026.
Top Buys and Auction Highlights
The IPL 2026 auction produced several notable outcomes that grabbed headlines. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) purchased him for ₹25.20 crore. This bid also ranks among the highest overall in IPL history.
Two uncapped Indian players, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, fetched significant attention when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought both for ₹14.20 crore each, making them the joint-most expensive uncapped buys in IPL history.
Another major auction success was Matheesha Pathirana, who was snapped up by KKR for ₹18 crore, becoming one of the pricier pace prospects in the auction. Across the board, IPL franchises spent a combined ₹215.45 crore on 77 players, including 29 overseas players.
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Team-Wise Squad Composition
As per IPL regulations, each franchise can register a maximum of 25 players, including up to eight overseas players. The IPL 2026 auction completed all squad lists following the retention window.
1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Purse Remaining: ₹2.40Cr
Key Retentions: Ruturaj Gaikwad (₹18Cr), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Noor Ahmad, Rachin Ravindra
Major Auction Buys: Prashant Veer (₹14.2Cr), Kartik Sharma (₹14.2Cr), Rahul Chahar (₹5.2Cr), Matt Henry (₹2Cr)
Sanju Samson acquired via trade from RR (₹18Cr) – not retention/auction
2. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Purse Remaining: ₹45L
Key Retentions: Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell
Major Auction Buys: Cameron Green (₹25.2Cr), Matheesha Pathirana (₹18Cr), Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.2Cr), Tejasvi Singh (₹3Cr)
3. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Purse Remaining: ₹55L
Key Retentions: Rishabh Pant (₹27Cr), Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis
Major Auction Buys: Josh Inglis (₹8.6Cr), Anrich Nortje (₹2Cr), Wanindu Hasaranga (₹2Cr)
Mohammed Shami acquired via trade from SRH (₹10Cr)
4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Purse Remaining: ₹1.95Cr
Key Retentions: Virat Kohli (₹21Cr), Josh Hazlewood, Rajat Patidar
Major Auction Buys: Venkatesh Iyer (₹7Cr), Mangesh Yadav (₹5.2Cr), Jacob Duffy (₹2Cr)
5. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Purse Remaining: ₹35L
Key Retentions: Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc
Major Auction Buys: Auqib Dar (₹8.4Cr), Pathum Nissanka (₹4Cr), Kyle Jamieson (₹2Cr)
6. Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Purse Remaining: ₹2.65Cr
Key Retentions: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer
Major Auction Buys: Ravi Bishnoi (₹7.2Cr), Adam Milne (₹2.4Cr), Donovan Ferreira (₹1Cr)
Ravindra Jadeja acquired via trade from CSK (₹14Cr)
7. Gujarat Titans (GT)
Purse Remaining: ₹1.95Cr
Key Retentions: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj
Major Auction Buys: Jason Holder (₹7Cr), Tom Banton (₹2Cr), Luke Wood (₹75L)
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Purse Remaining: ₹25L
Key Retentions: Heinrich Klaasen (₹23Cr), Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma
Major Auction Buys: Liam Livingstone (₹13Cr), Jack Edwards (₹3Cr), Salil Arora (₹1.5Cr)
9. Mumbai Indians (MI)
Purse Remaining: ₹4.55Cr
Key Retentions: Jasprit Bumrah (₹18Cr), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma
Major Auction Buys: Quinton de Kock (₹1Cr), Mitchell Santner (₹1Cr), Sherfane Rutherford (₹30L)
Shardul Thakur acquired via trade from LSG (₹2Cr)
10. Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Purse Remaining: ₹3.5Cr
Key Retentions: Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75Cr), Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Major Auction Buys: Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.4Cr), Cooper Connolly (₹3Cr)
Notable Unsold Players
A total of 79 players went unsold at the IPL 2026 auction, according to official auction summaries. The list included both overseas and Indian cricketers who had registered for bidding but did not secure contracts during the event.
Reported unsold names included Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Alzarri Joseph, Gus Atkinson, Deepak Hooda and Karn Sharma. As per IPL rules, unsold players remain eligible for mid-season replacement signings if franchises require injury cover.
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Frequently Asked Questions
At the auction held on 16 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a total of 77 players were sold across ten franchises from a shortlisted pool of 369 players.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was bought for ₹25.20 crore, becoming the most expensive overseas player.
Yes, MS Dhoni is part of the Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2026.
