IPL Auction 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders Steal the Spotlight with Record-Breaking Buys

Kolkata Knight Riders were the main attraction of the IPL 2026 mini-auction as they spent a whopping amount of money on their new acquisition and set records like no other. The total money spent by all franchises was ₹215.45 crore for 77 players in Abu Dhabi. The event was highly competitive with aggressive bidding and a keen eye on the uncapped Indian players.

KKR cast a spell of financial outburst and signed the Australian all-rounder, Cameron Green, for ₹25.20 crore, thus making him the highest-priced foreign player in the IPL auction history. To further their cause, they acquired the Sri Lankan pacer, Matheesha Pathirana, for ₹18 crore, signifying their intention to strengthen their team through aggressive rebuilding. Though the auction price of Green was above the ₹18 crore cap salary for foreign players, the extra amount will be sent to the BCCI’s player development fund according to the IPL regulation.

Green, who had an unimpressive IPL season numbers-wise—707 runs and 16 wickets in 29 matches—still managed to draw serious bidding, and KKR managed to outbid Chennai Super Kings. KKR CEO Venky Mysore stated that the franchise was pleased with the price, referring to Green’s future value. KKR reinforced their lineup with the acquisition of Tejasvi Dahiya (₹3 crore), Finn Allen (₹2 crore), Tim Seifert (₹1.5 crore), Akash Deep (₹1 crore) and Rahul Tripathi (₹75 lakh).

CSK Go All-In on Uncapped Indian Stars

The 2026 auction proved historic for uncapped Indian players, with Chennai Super Kings leading the charge. CSK stunned the auction room by spending ₹28.4 crore on youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, paying ₹14.2 crore each after they entered the auction at a base price of ₹30 lakh. The pair made a record as the highest uncapped players' cost in the IPL.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) besides strengthening their team saw the coming of Rahul Chahar (₹5.2 crore), Matt Henry (₹2 crore), Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore) and Matthew Short (₹1.5 crore). The middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who was not sold at first, was afterwards taken for ₹75 lakh due to his amazing triumph in the domestic T20. The team also recruited Aman Khan (₹40 lakh) and Mukesh Choudhary (₹30 lakh).

Other Teams and Key Buys

Sunrisers Hyderabad went on with their previous strategy of power-hitting, and thus, signed Liam Livingstone for a whopping ₹13 crore besides signing Jack Edwards, Shivam Mavi and Salil Arora.

To enhance their squad, Delhi Capitals made the right moves strategically and picked up Auqib Nabi for ₹8.4 crore as well as David Miller, Ben Duckett, Kyle Jamieson, Pathum Nissanka and Lungi Ngidi.

Rajasthan Royals invested in their spin department by signing Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.2 crore and also approved Adam Milne.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally managed to get Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crores and the Mirzapur uncapped fast bowler Mangesh Yadav for ₹5.2 crores.

The Lucknow Super Giants unhesitatingly did the spending by paying ₹8.6 crore to Josh Inglis, investing in India's youth, and acquiring Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga.

The Gujarat Titans brought in Jason Holder for ₹7 crore and the next big thing in fast bowling, Ashok Sharma, for ₹90 lakh.

The Mumbai Indians, who had the smallest budget, took back Quinton de Kock for ₹1 crore.

Auction Records and Highlights

The highest purchase of an overseas player: Cameron Green (₹25.20 crore)

The highest purchase of uncapped players: Prashant Veer & Kartik Sharma (₹14.2 crore each)

Players that did not get sold: Devon Conway, Spencer Johnson

The IPL Auction 2026 will be noted for its extravagant spending, the emergence of uncapped Indian players, and the headline-grabbing rebuild of KKR as the teams get ready for another lively IPL season.