IPL 2026 Auction Preview: Who Will KKR & CSK Pick This December?
IPL 2026 mini-auction promises thrilling picks. KKR, CSK, SRH with big budgets. 1,300+ players including domestic stars and top international talent.
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The Indian Premier League is on the brink of its mini-auction for 2026, and the franchises are already strategizing for the upcoming player swap. BCCI has made it known that the event will take place at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on December 16, which is a very lavish comeback for the auction site outside India.
The mini-auction has seen over 1,300 players throw their hat into the ring, thus creating a situation where the teams can have a big variety of domestic and foreign talent to choose from. The day is expected to be filled with aggressive bidding, strategic moves, and high energy throughout because many franchises still have large budgets left, and experts predict that to be the case.
How to Watch
All the moments will be available for live viewing on Star Sports Network, which will air the event on multiple channels. Jiostar will also provide the streaming option for every online user on the mobile, TV, and web platforms.
Huge Player Pool
As per Cricbuzz, the auction list has:
Overall players: 1,355
Indian players: 1,062
Foreign players: 293
Capped internationals: 212
Uncapped players: 1,121
From associate nations: 22 players
Indian cricket's prominent figures are Mayank Agarwal, KS Bharat, Rahul Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw, Umesh Yadav, etc. Besides, the total number of the foreign cricketers comes from 14 nations like, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the West Indies, as well as the up-and-coming cricket nations like the USA, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Malaysia.
Top Overseas Names at Rs 2 Crore Base Price
And the one with deep pockets is the high-value international pool mentioned below:
India: Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer
Afghanistan: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq
Australia: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Ben Cutting, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Steve Smith
Bangladesh: Mustafizur Rahman
England: Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Daniel Lawrence, Liam Livingstone, Tymal Mills, Jamie Smith
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, William O'Rourke, Rachin Ravindra
South Africa: Gerald Coetzee, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Wiese
Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana
West Indies: Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph
Power hitters, fast-bowling all-rounders, and death bowlers are among the key players the franchises are going to target.
After player retention on November 15, the franchises come with a total budget of Rs 237.55 crore for the auction.
The remaining money per team is,
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs 64.30 crore
Chennai Super Kings: Rs 43.40 crore
Lucknow Super Giants: Rs 22.95 crore
Delhi Capitals: Rs 21.80 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rs 25.50 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rs 16.40 crore
Rajasthan Royals: Rs 16.05 crore
Punjab Kings: Rs 11.50 crore
Gujarat Titans: Rs 12.90 crore
Mumbai Indians: Rs 2.75 crore
KKR has the biggest budget, while Mumbai Indians, which have kept the majority of their team, will be under a very limited budget. There are a total of 77 open slots across all the teams, of which 31 are for overseas players. The bigger-budget teams are likely to go for the international stars aggressively, while the smaller budget teams will probably focus on domestic talent and uncapped players.
The franchises must put forward additional entries by the 3rd of December and submit their final preferred player lists by the 5th of December. The mixture of experienced foreign players, local stars, and hundreds of uncapped players provides the opportunity for an unpredictable and rapid-fire auction.
