The IPL 2026 auction is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, marking the third consecutive year the auction has been held outside of India. The auction will begin at 2:30 PM IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, with live streaming available on the JioHotstar app and website.
Purse Size and Slots Available
All ten IPL franchises will participate in the mini-auction with a combined purse of ₹237.55 crore to fill a total of 77 available slots. Each team has a maximum squad size of 25 players, with a limit of eight overseas players per team. The minimum squad size is 18 players.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) enter the auction with the largest remaining purse of ₹64.3 crore and 13 slots to fill, including six overseas positions. Mumbai Indians (MI) have the smallest purse with ₹2.75 crore and five slots to fill, with one overseas slot available.
Here's a breakdown of the remaining purse and slots available for each team:
- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): ₹64.3 crore, 13 slots (6 overseas)
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK): ₹43.4 crore, 9 slots (4 overseas)
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): ₹25.50 crore, 10 slots (2 overseas)
- Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): ₹22.95 crore, 6 slots (4 overseas)
- Delhi Capitals (DC): ₹21.80 crore, 8 slots (5 overseas)
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): ₹16.40 crore, 8 slots (2 overseas)
- Rajasthan Royals (RR): ₹16.05 crore, 9 slots (1 overseas)
- Gujarat Titans (GT): ₹12.90 crore, 5 slots (4 overseas)
- Punjab Kings (PBKS): ₹11.50 crore, 4 slots (2 overseas)
- Mumbai Indians (MI): ₹2.75 crore, 5 slots (1 overseas)
Players in the Auction Pool
A total of 359 players have been shortlisted for the auction from an initial registration of 1,355 players. This includes 244 Indian players and 115 overseas players. There are 40 players who have registered themselves at the maximum base price of ₹2 crore. Among them, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are the only Indian players in that category. The pool comprises 224 uncapped Indian players and 14 uncapped overseas players.
Key Players and Sets
The auction will begin with a set of capped batters. Some of the top players expected to attract high bids include Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, and Ravi Bishnoi. The sets are divided based on player skills, including batters, all-rounders, wicket-keepers, fast bowlers, and spinners.
The initial sets will include players like Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller and Prithvi Shaw. All-rounders such as Gus Atkinson, Rachin Ravindra, Wanindu Hasaranga and Wiaan Mulder will also be up for grabs. Wicket-keepers like Ben Duckett and Finn Allen will also be available. Bowlers such as Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Jacob Duffy, and Matheesha Pathirana are also expected to be in demand.
Strategic Considerations
Franchises will be looking to fill gaps in their squads with players who can provide pace, middle-order stability, spin options, and finishing capabilities. With only 31 overseas slots available, teams will need to carefully balance their desire for foreign stars with the necessity of securing Indian match-winners.
