BCCI’s Last-Minute Auction Change Before IPL 2026 Leaves Franchises Stunned; 19 Players Added
BCCI adds 19 players to the IPL 2026 auction list just hours before bidding begins in Abu Dhabi, taking the total pool to 369 and leaving franchises stunned.
The IPL 2026 auction venue in Abu Dhabi as BCCI makes a last-minute change by adding 19 players to the auction pool, surprising franchises.
The BCCI's surprising move to increase the auction register just a few hours before the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi has created a mix of amazement and concern among the franchises.
As per the news, the BCCI on the eve of the auction at the Etihad Arena upgraded the list by including 19 new players in it, thus raising the number of players in the pool to 369. The decision has been termed “unprecedented” by both officials of the BCCI and representatives of the franchises as it is taken so close to the day of auction.
One official of the franchise quoted by Cricbuzz has said that an IPL auction of last-minute additions has always been a small number, and this time, the teams are in a hurry to review their plans again.
Abhimanyu Easwaran Featured Among Late Additions
The Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran is the most recognized among the new players, whose base price is set at ₹30 lakh. He has been a consistent scorer in domestic cricket and is one of the contenders for the national team for a long time and is assigned No. 360 in the auction listing.
The eleventh-hour addition includes a few foreign players as well. South African wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne, who plays regularly in all three formats for his country, is placed in the auction with a base price of ₹1.25 crore. Another South African, Ethan Bosch, has been priced at ₹75 lakh, while Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani and Australia’s Chris Green are both under ₹75 lakh value.
Among those coming from abroad, New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears is expected to be the priciest one with a base price set at ₹1.50 crore. Virandeep Singh from Malaysia has also been added at ₹30 lakh.
Indian Players Back In After Franchise Requests
The new list reflects along with a huge number of Indian domestic cricketers, most of them priced at a base of ₹30 lakh. Those include Manisankar Murasingh (Tripura), Swastik Chikara (Uttar Pradesh), Chama Milind (Hyderabad), K. L. Shrijith (Karnataka), Rahul Raj Namala (Chhattisgarh), Virat Singh (Jharkhand), Tripuresh Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Rajesh Mohanty (Odisha), Swastik Samal (Odisha), Saransh Jain (Madhya Pradesh), Sooraj Sangaraju (Andhra) and Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad).
Out of these nine players, Murasingh, Chikara, and Bosch, who had been very briefly in the auction pool before having been removed, are among those players. They have now been brought back in upon request by the franchises, thus giving a further twist to an already congested auction list.
Numbers of the Auction and Squad Limits
The free additions have brought the total number of players in the auction register to 369. The teams are allowed to sign a maximum of 77 players, but this applies only if all ten teams decide to have the full squad of 25 players.
The last-minute addition is likely to challenge the teams’ planning and adaptability as they enter the auction room, thereby affirming the IPL mini-auction's status as one of the most unpredictable events on the cricket calendar.
