IPL Auction 2026: IPL Auction Player List, Retained & Purse, Date & Venue | Cricket News (original) (raw)

IPL Auction 2026 FAQ:

What is the venue for the IPL 2026 mega auction?
The IPL 2026 mini-auction is scheduled for December 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, allowing teams to fill remaining squad slots after retentions.
What are the timings for the IPL 2026 mega auction?
It starts at 2:30 PM IST (1:00 PM UAE time), likely spanning several hours similar to recent auctions.
How many players have registered for the IPL 2026 mega auction?
1,355 players registered initially, with 359 shortlisted for the auction, including 113 overseas players and 77 slots available (31 overseas).
Who will be the auctioneer for IPL 2026 mega auction?
BCCI has not announced the auctioneer yet; Mallika Sagar handled the 2025 event and recent WPL auctions.
Are there any changes in IPL auction rules?
Updates include a ₹125 crore salary cap per team (auction purse plus ₹7.5 lakh match fee per playing member), mandatory overseas player registration for big auctions, a two-season ban for post-auction unavailability, and a new timer rule for faster bidding. The maximum fee an international player can receive will be the lower value of two figures: the highest retention price (which is ₹18 crore) or the highest auction price recorded at the previous mega auction. Given that the highest bid at the IPL 2025 mega auction was the ₹27 crore spent by Lucknow Super Giants on Rishabh Pant, the effective maximum salary an overseas player can earn in this upcoming auction is capped at ₹18 crore. Any amount bid and attracted by the player above this ₹18 crore limit will be collected by the BCCI and directed towards its player development programme, ensuring financial prudence for the franchises while continuing to foster cricket talent.

The IPL 2025 mega auction, hosted in Jeddah, delivered a high-octane display of bidding wars, record-breaking deals and surprising outcomes. Across two days of intense action, 10 franchises spent ₹639.15 crore to acquire 182 players, reshaping their squads for the upcoming season.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the key moments and highlights from the IPL 2025 auction.

Record-breaking deals

The auction saw jaw-dropping records set in its very first hour. Lucknow Super Giants secured Rishabh Pant for an astounding ₹27 crore, the highest bid in IPL history. This surpassed Mitchell Starc’s ₹23.75 crore record from the previous year.

Not far behind was Punjab Kings, who spent ₹24.75 crore to bring Shreyas Iyer into their ranks. This marked the second-highest bid of the auction and highlighted Punjab’s commitment to bolstering their batting core.

Venkatesh Iyer also made headlines when Kolkata Knight Riders invested ₹23.75 crore to bring him back. Although this move limited their flexibility in pursuing other marquee players.

Bowlers Land Big Bucks

The bowlers emerged as a focal point during the auction, with several high-profile signings being witnessed in the two-day IPL 2025 auction.

Arshdeep Singh became the most expensive Indian pacer in IPL history. Punjab Kings used their Right to Match (RTM) card after an intense bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad to retain him for ₹18 crore.
Yuzvendra Chahal shattered records for spinners, as Punjab Kings acquired him for ₹18 crore, making him the costliest spinner ever in IPL auctions.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans signed Kagiso Rabada for ₹10.75 crore, and Delhi Capitals bagged Australian speedster Mitchell Starc for ₹11.75 crore.

Big Names Find New Homes

Several players switched teams, setting the stage for exciting changes in the 2025 season. KL Rahul moved to Delhi Capitals for ₹14 crore, likely taking up a leadership role. Gujarat Titans ended Jos Buttler’s long tenure with Rajasthan Royals by signing him for ₹15.75 crore, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) brought in Liam Livingstone for ₹8.75 crore.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to RCB for ₹10.75 crore, reuniting with the team where he started his IPL journey in 2019. Gujarat Titans also bolstered their pace attack by adding Mohammad Siraj for ₹12.25 crore.

Amid the high-stakes bidding wars, a few bargains stood out. Former RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was one of the most notable, joining Delhi Capitals at his base price of ₹2 crore. Similarly, Chennai Super Kings brought back Sam Curran for just ₹2.40 crore, while Gujarat Titans made a shrewd move by acquiring Washington Sundar for ₹3.20 crore. Krunal Pandya, another seasoned allrounder, found a new home at RCB for ₹5.75 crore, fulfilling their need for a spin-bowling allrounder.

Surprises and Shocks

The auction wasn’t without its surprises. Veteran stars David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Jonny Bairstow went unsold, reflecting a shift in franchise priorities toward younger talent. Prithvi Shaw and Shardul Thakur also found no takers, while Ajinkya Rahane, initially unsold, was later picked up by KKR for ₹1.50 crore.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to earn a crore-plus bid. Rajasthan Royals secured the 13-year-old prodigy from Bihar for ₹1.10 crore.

Franchise Strategies

Each franchise approached the auction with unique strategies to build balanced squads ahead of the new IPL season.

Mumbai Indians retained their core of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya while adding depth in their bowling and allrounder departments with Reece Topley and Mitchell Santner.
Chennai Super Kings prioritised spin depth by acquiring Noor Ahmad and R Ashwin. They also brought back Sam Curran at a modest ₹2.40 crore.
RCB focused on experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar while strengthening their middle order with Liam Livingstone.
Sunrisers Hyderabad fortified their bowling lineup by pairing Mohammed Shami with Pat Cummins.
Punjab Kings splurged on Shreyas Iyer and Yuzvendra Chahal to create a formidable core, while Lucknow Super Giants went all-in on Rishabh Pant.
Delhi Capitals emphasised leadership by signing KL Rahul and strengthening their bowling with Mitchell Starc.

Unsold Players and Trends

Despite the frenzy, 395 players went unsold, an indicator to franchises’ selective spending. During the IPL 2025 auction, the teams focused on acquiring players who could fill specific roles rather than splurging indiscriminately. Domestic talent received significant attention, with younger players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and other uncapped names making the cut.

This is how the 10 teams stack up after the IPL 2025 mega auction:

Mumbai Indians Squad:

Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (retained), Rohit Sharma (retained), Tilak Varma (retained), Bevan-John Jacobs
Wicketkeepers: Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Krishnan Shrijith
Allrounders: Hardik Pandya (retained), Naman Dhir (RTM), Will Jacks, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur
Bowlers: Allah Ghazanfar, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah (retained), Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams

Chennai Super Kings Squad:

Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad (retained), Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda, Andre Siddarth
Wicketkeepers: Devon Conway, MS Dhoni (retained), Vansh Bedi
Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja (retained), Shivam Dube (retained), R Ashwin, Sam Curran, Rachin Ravindra (RTM), Vijay Shankar, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh
Bowlers: Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal, Matheesha Pathirana (retained), Khaleel Ahmed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad:

Batters: Virat Kohli (retained), Rajat Patidar (retained), Tim David, Manoj Bhandage, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma
Allrounders: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Mohit Rathee
Bowlers: Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal (retained), Rasikh Salam, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad:

Batters: Travis Head (retained), Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Sachin Baby
Wicketkeepers: Heinrich Klaasen (retained), Ishan Kishan, Atharva Taide
Allrounders: Abhishek Sharma (retained), Nitish Kumar Reddy (retained), Kamindu Mendis
Bowlers: Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Zeeshan Ansari, Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins (retained), Harshal Patel, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:

Batters: Rinku Singh (retained), Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Allrounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell (retained), Sunil Narine (retained), Ramandeep Singh (retained), Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali
Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy (retained), Mayank Markande, Harshit Rana (retained), Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik

Punjab Kings Squad:

Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh (retained), Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh (retained)
Allrounders: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge
Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey, Arshdeep Singh (RTM), Lockie Ferguson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett

Lucknow Super Giants Squad:

Batters: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Ayush Badoni (retained), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke
Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran (retained), Aryan Juyal
Allrounders: Adbul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi (retained), M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Mayank Yadav (retained), Mohsin Khan (retained), Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav

Delhi Capitals Squad:

Batters: Jake Fraser-McGurk (RTM), Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs (retained), Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair
Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (retained), Donovan Ferreria
Allrounders: Axar Patel (retained), Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav (retained), Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera

Rajasthan Royals Squad:

Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal (retained), Shimron Hetmyer (retained), Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Wicketkeepers: Sanju Samson (retained), Dhruv Jurel (retained), Kunal Singh Rathore
Allrounders: Riyan Parag (retained), Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh
Bowlers: Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma (retained), Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma

Gujarat Titans Squad:

Batters: Shubman Gill (retained), Sai Sudharsan (retained), Rahul Tewatia (retained), Sherfane Rutherford
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat
Allrounders: Rashid Khan (retained), Washington Sundar, M Shahrukh Khan (retained), Mahipal Lomror, Nishant Sindhu, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Karim Janat
Bowlers: Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya

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