IPL 2026 Auction: Late additions and big purses set stage for high-stakes bidding

The IPL 2026 auction will take place today at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, starting at 2:30 PM IST, with 369 players set to go under the hammer.

A total of 1,390 players had initially registered for the auction, of which 350 were shortlisted. In an unprecedented late development, 19 players were added less than 24 hours before the auction, taking the final list to 369. Franchises will compete to fill 77 slots, including 31 overseas positions.

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Let the #TATAIPL Auction 2026 begin #TATAIPLAuction 2026 starts at 2:30 PM IST on @JioHotstar & @StarSportsIndia pic.x.com/TAj68kj5yn

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 16, 2025

Late additions to the auction list

Among the notable last-minute inclusions are New Zealand pacer Ben Sears, South African fast bowler Ethan Bosch, and Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is yet to make his international debut.

Easwaran, a former captain of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy side, was also part of India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25. Bosch, meanwhile, is the brother of South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch and has represented South Africa in one ODI. Sears has featured in one Test and four ODIs for New Zealand.

Other international players added include Virandeep Singh (Malaysia), Chris Green (Australia), Kyle Verreynne (South Africa) and Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe).

Big-ticket Indian names

Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are the only two Indian players to list themselves at the maximum base price of ₹2 crore, a bracket that includes 40 players.

Iyer strengthened his case ahead of the auction with a polished 70 off 43 balls for Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite 2025, striking eight fours and two sixes in a Super League Group A fixture against Punjab at the DY Patil Academy in Pune.

However, the 2025 IPL season proved challenging for the all-rounder. Despite being retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a hefty ₹23.75 crore, Iyer managed just 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.28. Following the dip in form, KKR parted ways with the left-hander, ending an association that spanned his entire IPL career.

KKR’s big purse and Cameron Green watch

KKR enter the auction with the largest purse of ₹64.30 crore and 13 vacancies, making them one of the most active teams to watch.

It remains to be seen whether KKR will attempt to buy back Venkatesh Iyer or go all out for Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, who is expected to be among the biggest names at the mini auction. Green underlined his value during a recent mock auction, where he fetched ₹30.5 crore from KKR.

Green is expected to attract strong interest from both KKR and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

“I knew CSK would also go after a middle-order all-rounder. I thought they would go somewhere around ₹25–28 crore. Realistically, I think they would go up to around ₹20 crore in the actual auction,” said Robin Uthappa, JioStar expert and former India cricketer, who represented KKR in the mock auction.

“In mock auctions, I was ready to go up to ₹35 crore for a player like Green. I think Cameron Green should bat at No. 3,” Uthappa added.