Mumbai: The countdown for the Indian Premier League 2026 auction (IPL 2026 Auction) is on as 350 cricketers—including 240 from India and 110 overseas players—prepare to go under the hammer in Abu Dhabi on December 16. A late but notable addition is South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who recently returned from his ODI retirement, entering the auction with a base price of Rs 1 crore.
Another high-profile name is Australian star Steve Smith, who last featured in the IPL in 2021. Smith is listed with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Other prominent international players in the mix include Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk from Australia, New Zealand’s Devon Conway, and South Africa’s David Miller, each priced at Rs 2 crore.
From the Indian contingent, promising batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan have set their base price at Rs 75 lakh, while all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has listed himself at Rs 2 crore. (IPL 2026 Auction)
The IPL had initially received 1,390 registrations for the player auction. After a detailed review process, the list was trimmed to 1,005 players, and the final 350 were selected to compete for 77 available spots across the league’s 10 franchises for the 19th edition of the tournament.
Among the franchises, KKR, three-time champions, will enter the auction with the largest purse of Rs 64.3 crore, followed by five-time winners Chennai Super Kings with Rs 43.4 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL champions once, hold the third-highest budget at Rs 25.5 crore. (IPL 2026 Auction)
With international stars returning and India’s emerging talent in the fray, the 2026 IPL auction promises to be a high-stakes, star-studded affair that could reshape team line-ups ahead of the next season.
