The IPL 2026 mini-auction, set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, promises to be an exciting event featuring 350 players. From that gigantic pool, 40 players have chosen to set the highest possible base price of INR 2 crore, and it’s intriguing how just two Indians feature in this elite group – Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
All eyes are set to be on the batter, Cameron Green, for a change. He’s one of the first ones on board and is expected to start an early frenzy, possibly earning that title as the most expensive buy of the time. Among the other batsmen fighting for that opening spot are Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, and Prithvi Shaw.
And there are a couple of surprise entrants as well. Quinton de Kock, Dunith Wellalage, and George Linde were absent from the initial list, but they have subsequently been added to it, their names requested by franchises. Altogether, there are 35 new late entries.
There are a total of 240 Indian cricketers and 110 overseas stars. One curious case among them is that of an uncapped all-rounder, Nikhil Chaudhary, who was listed as Indian even though he has since moved to Australia and also turned out for their domestic sides, including BBL.
The auction will start with a full set of capped players spread across batsmen, all-rounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers, and spinners before moving to the uncapped category. After player No. 70, the fast-and-furious phase begins and extends to the rest of the list. Franchises are able to ask some players who remained unsold to come back for another expedited round.
This year, there are a total of 77 slots across teams (meaning 31 overseas slots). Kolkata Knight Riders go with the biggest purse – INR 64.30 crore – and have 13 spots to fill, including six overseas players. Chennai Super Kings come next (INR 43.4 crore and nine spots to fill).
