IPL 2026 Auction Drama: Big Bids Expected for Elite Players

The IPL 2026 mini auction is just a few hours away, and the whole atmosphere is filled with nothing but anticipation and speculation regarding the players expected to plot the wildest bidding wars. In total, 355 cricketers won’t just be bought and sold, but only a handful will be the ones to have the highest bids, as the franchises will be looking to reinforce their line-ups for the ensuing season.

During the 2025 auction, three stars who were Rashabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Venkatesh Iyer went for huge sums, and in this year’s auction, a similar thing is projected. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is the most coveted player among the auctioneers for many teams. His ability to be a perfect package, that is being able to produce good runs and also to be effective as a baller, just makes Green “the T20 Modern”. Getting the franchises like Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders to fight for his hiring would mean his price going up to between ₹25 crore and ₹30 crore.

Following him is Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who is the one whose value has gone up a lot real fast because of the lack of the experienced international spinners among the auction pool. Bishnoi’s good form and sharpness in taking wickets make him a very appealing option, and in fact a combo of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru could bump his price up to the range of ₹10–15 crore.

Liam Livingstone, the powerful English batsman, is the third name in the running. With Andre Russell already retired and Glenn Maxwell away from the league, Livingstone's status has advanced even more as a killer player and an acceptable spin option. Bidding is expected to be very competitive for him just like it was in the past, with a ₹12–15 crore range already mentioned.

Likewise, another Indian all-rounder called Venkatesh Iyer is also going to be the player who will attract the most attention. His left-arm fast bowling and the power to be either the anchor or the aggressor in the middle order are strengths that allow him to be part of any team, thus making him a very valuable player at an estimated price of ₹10–15 crore.

The final player is the Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. Pathirana is famous for his unusual, bizarre action and amazing yorkers at the death. As a result, he is likely to be one of the biggest pricey overseas bowlers in the auction.

While the franchises are set for a day of high-stakes in the auction room, the five players above will still be the most important ones and the ones to change the team compositions for IPL 2026.