IPL 2026 Auction: Where Is It Happening? Check Date, Venue & Purse
IPL 2026 auction will be held in Abu Dhabi on Dec 16. Know the date, venue, and remaining purse for all 10 teams ahead of the big player battle.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will take place on December 16, 2025, and Abu Dhabi will be the host city. The auction is an important milestone in the development of the teams, as the franchises will be finalizing their rosters, making smart purchases, and looking for the best local and foreign players.
On November 15, after the player retention period ended, all ten IPL teams presented their lists of players to be retained, which in turn, made a prominent auction. The IPL’s official Twitter account verified the information, indicating Abu Dhabi as the location and getting fans to guess who would be the most expensive.
This is going to be the third year in a row that the IPL auction is done outside India, after Dubai stage in 2024 and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in 2025. The ruling demonstrates the league's increasing international influence, as the organizers are trying to draw in global spectators while still ensuring that the competition remains balanced among the teams.
At the IPL 2026 auction, the total budget allocated is Rs 237.55 crore for 77 player slots. The individual teams’ remaining wallets differ tremendously, which will affect their bidding strategies. Teams with large amounts of money left, such as Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs 64.3 crore) and Chennai Super Kings (Rs 43.4 crore), are likely to target the top players very actively. On the other hand, teams like Mumbai Indians (Rs 2.75 crore) and Punjab Kings (Rs 11.5 crore) might concentrate more on doing clever deals for getting a few specific players in the squad.
The remaining purse numbers for all teams, as per IPL's official communiqué, are:
Chennai Super Kings: Rs 43.40 crore
Delhi Capitals: Rs 21.80 crore
Gujarat Titans: Rs 12.90 crore
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs 64.30 crore
Lucknow Super Giants: Rs 22.95 crore
Mumbai Indians: Rs 2.75 crore
Punjab Kings: Rs 11.50 crore
Rajasthan Royals: Rs 16.05 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rs 16.40 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rs 25.50 crore
