The IPL 2026 auction begins Dec. 16 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, with 10 franchises bidding on a 350-player pool to fill 77 slots and spend a combined ₹237.55 crore to finalise squads for the league’s 19th season.
IPL 2026 auction: key details (who, what, when, where, why)
The player auction is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, after franchises completed their retention process and roster planning. The auction is set to begin at 1:00 PM UAE time (2:30 PM IST).
Auction at a glance
| Item | Detail |
| Auction date | Dec. 16, 2025 |
| Start time | 1:00 PM UAE (2:30 PM IST) |
| Venue | Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi |
| Shortlisted player pool | 350 players |
| Slots available | 77 total (31 overseas) |
| Combined purse available | ₹237.55 crore |
| Max squad size | 25 players |
Team purse and slots: who can shape the bidding?
With a fixed number of slots across teams and very different budgets, bidding intensity often tracks two things: (1) how many places a team must fill and (2) how much money it has left.
The retention window closed with 173 players retained overall, including 49 overseas players.
Team-wise purse, slots, and overseas room
| Team | Players retained | Overseas retained | Purse remaining (₹ crore) | Slots open | Overseas slots open |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 12 | 2 | 64.3 | 13 | 6 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 16 | 4 | 43.4 | 9 | 4 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 15 | 6 | 25.5 | 10 | 2 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 19 | 4 | 22.95 | 6 | 4 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 17 | 3 | 21.8 | 8 | 5 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 17 | 6 | 16.4 | 8 | 2 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 16 | 7 | 16.05 | 9 | 1 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 20 | 4 | 12.9 | 5 | 4 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 21 | 6 | 11.5 | 4 | 2 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 20 | 7 | 2.75 | 5 | 1 |
What stands out quickly:
- KKR enter with the biggest purse and the most slots (and overseas flexibility), which can push prices up early.
- MI are the most cash-constrained, meaning they may be forced into value buys and late-round choices.
The player pool: 350 shortlisted, with a ₹2 crore top base price
The official shortlist includes 350 players selected from 1,390 registrations. The pool is 240 Indians and 110 overseas—with a heavy tilt toward uncapped Indian talent (224 names).
Capped vs uncapped breakdown
| Category | Players |
| Capped Indians | 16 |
| Capped overseas | 96 |
| Uncapped Indians | 224 |
| Uncapped overseas | 14 |
| Total | 350 |
Reserve price distribution (₹ lakh)
| Reserve price | Number of players |
| 200 | 40 |
| 150 | 9 |
| 125 | 4 |
| 100 | 17 |
| 75 | 42 |
| 50 | 4 |
| 40 | 7 |
| 30 | 227 |
Why this matters: Most of the pool sits at the ₹30 lakh base price, giving teams a large budget-friendly segment to fill backup roles—especially useful for teams with low remaining funds.
Selected notable names in the auction list
Below are examples of well-known or widely discussed players appearing in the official auction list (not an exhaustive list), with their listed base prices.
| Player | Role (as listed) | Base price (₹ lakh) |
| Cameron Green | Batter / fast-bowling option | 200 |
| Devon Conway | Batter | 200 |
| David Miller | Batter | 200 |
| Liam Livingstone | All-rounder | 200 |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-rounder | 200 |
| Quinton de Kock | Wicketkeeper | 100 |
| Jonny Bairstow | Wicketkeeper | 100 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bowler | 200 |
| Rishad Hossain | Bowler (leg-spin) | 75 |
Trades before the auction: how squads were reshaped
Several trades were completed ahead of the retention deadline, changing team needs and salary-cap planning. These moves matter because a trade can solve a first-choice problem (like leadership or an all-rounder slot) before teams enter the auction room.
Key pre-auction trades (selected)
| Player | Moved from → to | Notes |
| Ravindra Jadeja | CSK → RR | Fee revised from ₹18 cr to ₹14 cr |
| Sanju Samson | RR → CSK | Moves at existing ₹18 cr fee |
| Sam Curran | CSK → RR | Moves at existing ₹2.4 cr fee |
| Mohd Shami | SRH → LSG | Moves at existing fee (₹10 cr noted for 2025 buy) |
| Mayank Markande | KKR → MI | Returns to MI at existing ₹30 lakh fee |
| Nitish Rana | RR → DC | Continues at ₹4.2 cr fee |
| Donovan Ferreira | DC → RR | Fee revised to ₹1 cr |
| Sherfane Rutherford | GT → MI | Moves at existing ₹2.6 cr fee |
| Shardul Thakur | LSG → MI | Trade at existing ₹2 cr fee |
What to watch in the IPL 2026 auction
1) Big-purse teams may set the early market
With 13 slots and ₹64.3 crore, KKR have room to buy both “headline” names and depth—especially with six overseas slots open, giving them flexibility across roles like wicketkeeper-batter, pace, and all-round options.
CSK, with the second-largest purse (₹43.4 crore) and nine slots, can be aggressive too—particularly if they want to rebalance their middle order and bowling mix after trades reshaped the squad.
2) Mid-budget teams could drive competition for specialist roles
SRH, DC and LSG sit in a cluster of meaningful budgets (₹21.8–₹25.5 crore) but with different roster pressures—especially in overseas slots (DC have five, LSG four). That combination often triggers bidding battles for specific skill sets:
- Overseas wicketkeepers/finishers (demand rises when teams need lineup flexibility).
- Death-overs pace (teams often compete for a small number of proven end-overs bowlers).
- Impact Player-era balance (teams may prefer multi-skill players who let them swap roles match-to-match).
3) Cash-tight teams must hit value picks
MI’s ₹2.75 crore purse is the most restrictive, leaving little margin for expensive bidding wars. Their approach is likely to emphasize base-price buys and targeted needs rather than star chasing.
GT and PBKS also have limited headroom (₹12.9 crore and ₹11.5 crore) but still meaningful overseas space (GT have four overseas slots open). That can push them toward fewer, more strategic overseas purchases and more uncapped Indian depth.
4) Regulations increase the cost of late pullouts
The IPL’s player regulations include a two-season ban for players who enter the auction, get picked, and then make themselves unavailable before the season begins. That rule aims to protect team planning and can influence how franchises assess risk before bidding.
5) The champions’ squeeze: balancing continuity and cover
RCB come in with ₹16.4 crore, eight slots, and two overseas slots open—enough to tune the squad but not enough to freely chase multiple premium bids. They will be bidding as the most recent title winners after defeating PBKS in the IPL 2025 final.
Final thoughts
The IPL 2026 auction is shaped by a clear split: a few teams with big money and big roster gaps, and several teams trying to finish squads with limited budgets. The early rounds could be set by the teams with the most flexibility—especially those with multiple overseas slots to fill—while later rounds may become a deep search for value among the large ₹30 lakh pool.
