Chennai Super Kings stunned the table with twin ₹14.20 crore uncapped buys, while Kolkata Knight Riders landed Cameron Green for a record overseas fee in Abu Dhabi.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spent ₹28.40 crore on two uncapped Indians—wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma and all-rounder Prashant Veer—at the IPL Auction 2026, each costing ₹14.20 crore. The same auction also saw Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) buy Australia all-rounder Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore, the highest-ever price for an overseas player at an IPL auction.
What happened in Abu Dhabi
The IPL Auction 2026 was held in Abu Dhabi, where the first marquee moment was Cameron Green’s bidding war before KKR sealed him at ₹25.20 crore. Soon after, CSK made the headline-grabbing domestic move—₹14.20 crore each for Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, making them the joint most expensive uncapped buys.
Key deals at a glance
| Player | Team | Winning bid | Why it mattered |
| Cameron Green | KKR | ₹25.20 crore | Set a new IPL auction record for an overseas player, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s ₹24.75 crore mark from IPL 2024. |
| Prashant Veer (uncapped) | CSK | ₹14.20 crore | Became joint-most expensive uncapped buy; listed as an all-rounder in reports. |
| Kartik Sharma (uncapped) | CSK | ₹14.20 crore | Matched Veer’s price; reported as a wicketkeeper-batter and a surprise premium buy. |
Why CSK spent ₹28.40 crore on two uncapped players
CSK’s twin ₹14.20 crore purchases stood out because they were uncapped players, a segment that typically carries more uncertainty than established IPL performers. Reports described Veer as an all-rounder and Sharma as a wicketkeeper-batter, meaning CSK targeted roles that can shape both team balance and match-ups. Both players came in with a base price of ₹30 lakh on the official auction list, highlighting just how sharply the bidding escalated.
The deals also rewrote the “uncapped” ceiling: a Hindustan Times report noted the previous benchmark for the most expensive uncapped Indian buy had been ₹10 crore (Avesh Khan in 2022), a figure now comfortably overtaken by the ₹14.20 crore tags. For CSK, the immediate pressure will be to justify the premium with playing-time decisions and defined roles, because such prices naturally raise expectations across a long season.
Cameron Green’s record—and the rule behind the headline number
Green’s ₹25.20 crore purchase made him the costliest overseas player in IPL auction history, with multiple reports stating he went past Mitchell Starc’s ₹24.75 crore record from 2024. According to NDTV, Green will not receive the full ₹25.20 crore as salary for the season; the report said he would get ₹18 crore, with the remainder directed to a BCCI player development programme under auction rules for foreign players.
On the cricketing side, The New Indian Express reported Green has played 29 IPL matches across two seasons (for Mumbai Indians in 2023 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024), scoring 707 runs and taking 16 wickets. That established IPL track record—plus his ability to contribute in multiple phases—helps explain why franchises pushed the bidding into record territory.
What happens next
With the auction complete, teams now move into squad planning and role clarity—especially CSK, who must integrate two high-priced uncapped Indians into a balanced XI. The official IPL auction page noted that franchises are now “gearing up” for IPL 2026, which it said will begin in March.
