IPL 2026 Mini Auction: Dates, Purse, Players & Who Will Go Biggest

The IPL Auction 2026 is set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025, with the event starting at 2:30 PM IST. The mini auction is not a mega auction but serves as a squad correction window during which teams will not be able to disrupt the whole roster but rather make minor changes. The event is a global phenomenon and customers are keen to watch the fierce competition among the best players, especially the allrounders and fast bowlers.

The franchises are allowed to keep a squad of 18 to 25 players, which can include a maximum of 8 foreign players. The Right To Match (RTM) card that would have otherwise helped a franchise to retain a player by matching the bid he receives will not be in play this year, but any player unsold can always be picked up in the accelerated rounds toward the end of the auction. Teams can also bring in injury replacements until the 12th league match, but the replacement needs to be from the official player pool.

The financial resources of the franchises differ very much as KKR has the largest budget at INR 64.3 crore and Mumbai Indians have the smallest at just INR 2.75 crore. The rest of the teams can spend between INR 11.5 crore and INR 43.4 crore varying their auction strategies based on their budget. For instance, CSK wants to buy a top-class allrounder and to improve their pace attack, while Mumbai Indians probably will have an unnoticeable auction due to shortage of money. RCB will be on the lookout for a good pacer and a middle-order hitter, KKR will aim at a keeper-batsman and a hard-hitting all-rounder, and Rajasthan Royals will want to strengthen their spin attack.

Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Punjab Kings too have their own tactical priorities based on the players they released and retained.

The auction has decided to shortlist a total of 350 players from a total of 1,355 registrations. Out of these 350 players, 240 are Indians and 110 are overseas. Some of the high-profile players are Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Quinton de Kock, Devon Conway, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, and Maheesh Theekshana. These players will be fighting for the 77 slots available, with 31 being allocated for overseas players, among all franchises.

The auction has planned to be live on Star Sports Network and to be streamed on JioStar with real-time updates of players who are sold or unsold. Bidding has historically been dominated by all-rounders and fast bowlers, and this year, Cameron Green is expected to be the highest-priced player. The auction, with the mixture of places to fill, strategic squad upgrades, limited budgets, and high-profile talent, is likely to be not only an exciting but also a closely watched event for cricket fans all over the world in the year 2026.