Teams ready to make big buys at IPL auction in capital today

The spotlight will be on the likes of Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone and Ravi Bishnoi as ten franchises gear up for the IPL 2026 auction, set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. It will mark the third straight time of an IPL auction happening outside India after Dubai (2024) and Jeddah (2025).

All ten teams are expected to loosen their purse strings in pursuit of marquee talent and have a squad which can win the IPL 2026 trophy. A total of 77 slots are available, including 31 for overseas players. Three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the most vacancies with 13, followed by 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with ten.

From a longlist of 1,355 players, 359 have been shortlisted – 244 Indian and 115 overseas. Forty players have entered at the maximum base price of Rs 2 crore, with Bishnoi and Venkatesh Iyer the only Indians in that group.

Green, Australia’s seam-bowling all-rounder, is expected to be the biggest draw, thanks to the skewed demand-supply ratio in a mini IPL auction, with bids for him projected to cross Rs 25 crore.

Apart from Bishnoi and Green, the England duo of Liam Livingstone and Jamie Smith, along with NZ pacer Matt Henry, keeper-batter Tim Seifert and South Africa batter David Miller, are also likely to attract strong interest from all ten teams, as is Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who was let go of by Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

KKR head into the auction with the largest purse at Rs 64.30 crore, while five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have Rs 43.40 crore, with both teams eyeing to rebuild their squads after a poor IPL 2025 season.

In contrast, five-time winners Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings might have quiet auctions due to their purses of Rs 2.75 crore and Rs 11.5 crore, respectively.

What remains certain is that no overseas player can earn more than Rs 18 crore, regardless of the winning bid. Under the IPL’s “maximum-fee” rule, the cap is fixed at the lower of the highest retention slab - Rs 18 crore - or the top price from the previous mega auction, which was Rs 27 crore for India wicketkeeper-batter and Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant.

Among the uncapped names, Jammu & Kashmir’s seam-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi and Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma have drawn interest from coaches and scouts who have been seeing all games of state-run T20 leagues and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Uttar Pradesh’s all-rounder Prashant Veer, Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma and Kerala’s left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur, who featured for Mumbai Indians last season before a shin injury cut short his stint, are also on the radar of all ten teams.

The auction will move into an accelerated round after the first 70 players are presented, with franchises then nominating unsold names for further bidding. As this is a mini-auction, the Right to Match (RTM) card will not be available to teams.

The uncapped Indian players set to attract attention

All eyes will be on the uncapped domestic players expected to land big paydays and instant recognition from the cricketing world. Once the IPL 2025 season was over, coaches and scouts of all ten teams were busy criss-crossing the country to see various state T20 league games and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches to identify the gems who can be of great value to their teams.

With limited purses and multiple slots to fill, uncapped Indian cricketers are expected to be in huge demand.

The slow left-arm spin bowling all-rounder from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, Prashant Veer (base price of Rs 30 lakh), has been talked highly of for his skills, which have earned him comparison with Ravindra Jadeja. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Veer scored 112 runs at a strike rate of 169.69 and claimed nine wickets at an economy of 6.76, highlighted by a 3-20 and an unbeaten 40.

His exploits in the UP T20 League for Noida Super Kings further underlined his batting prowess – amassing 320 runs – along with taking eight wickets across 10 matches. Having already attended IPL trials, including those of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, eyeing to fill a Jadeja-sized void, the 23-year-old allrounder is expected to be firmly on the radar of all teams.

The seam-bowling all-rounder from Jammu and Kashmir Auqib Nabi Dar (base price of Rs 30 lakh), has emerged as one of India’s most consistent performers in domestic cricket. In the first half of the Ranji Trophy, Nabi has taken 29 wickets in five matches at an average of 13.27, including a best haul of 7-24.

Nabi’s white-ball form has been equally impressive. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he claimed 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 7.41, attributes that have drawn the attention of franchise scouts. He would be hoping this time he gets an IPL deal after having two net bowling stints before in the tournament.

Indo-Asian News Service