IPL Auction 2026: What Each Team Needs – Part I

As the IPL 2026 mini-auction approaches, franchises are fine-tuning their strategies to plug gaps in their squads. While some teams enter the auction with settled cores, others have key areas to address—particularly in bowling depth, middle-order stability, and overseas balance. Here’s a look at what five franchises are likely to target in Part I of our team-by-team breakdown.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Purse: ₹43.40 crore

Slots Available: 9

Overseas Slots: 4

Probable Playing XII

Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, All-rounder, All-rounder/Finisher, MS Dhoni (wk), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed

Other Squad Members:

Urvil Patel, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton

What CSK Need

With their top order largely settled, CSK’s primary focus will be strengthening the middle order. After trading out Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to bring in Sanju Samson, the franchise is expected to target two all-rounders—one spin-bowling option and one pace-bowling finisher.

Death bowling still is a huge issue to deal with, and CSK's performance in death-over run rates was among the lowest last year. The letting go of Matheesha Pathirana not only amplifies the demand for a foreign fast bowler who can finish the innings but also might lead to a transfer to bring back the Sri Lankan bowler.

With R. Ashwin retired and Jadeja gone, CSK may also look for a finger spinner, as Shreyas Gopal is currently the only backup option. Backed by the second-largest purse at the auction, CSK are expected to be among the most aggressive bidders.

Potential Targets:

Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Jason Holder, Michael Bracewell, Prashant Veer, Sunny Sandhu, Mustafizur Rahman

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Purse: ₹25.50 crore

Slots Available: 10

Overseas Slots: 2

Probable Playing XII

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Domestic pacer

Other Squad Members:

Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis

What SRH Need

SRH’s decision to part ways with Mohammed Shami has left a new-ball bowling gap. While Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga excel at the death, the franchise needs a pacer who can strike early in the powerplay—an area where SRH struggled in IPL 2025.

On the batting front, the release of several domestic players means SRH will need Indian batting backups, and they may also consider using an overseas slot for cover behind Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen.

Despite releasing Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, SRH appear comfortable with their spin resources following strong performances from Zeeshan Ansari and the rise of Harsh Dubey.

Potential Targets:

Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Ashok Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Sharma

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Purse: ₹21.80 crore

Slots Available: 8

Overseas Slots: 5

Probable Playing XII

KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (wk), Nitish Rana, Karun Nair/Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T. Natarajan

Other Squad Members:

Ajay Mandal, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurna Vijay, Dushmantha Chameera

What DC Need

Delhi Capitals enter the auction with a largely settled squad but may look to address opening stability, having used seven different opening combinations in IPL 2025—the most by any team.

With five overseas slots available, DC could target an experienced opener to partner KL Rahul. Concerns over T. Natarajan’s fitness may also push the franchise to add an overseas fast bowler, especially given their struggles at the death.

Once those needs are met, DC could also invest in a backup middle-order batter to support Tristan Stubbs.

Potential Targets:

Quinton de Kock, Pathum Nissanka, Jamie Smith, Jonny Bairstow, Matheesha Pathirana, Matt Henry, Mustafizur Rahman

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Purse: ₹16.40 crore

Slots Available: 8

Overseas Slots: 2

Probable Playing XII

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal

Other Squad Members:

Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara

What RCB Need

The defending champions have a solid core, making this auction more about depth than overhaul. With Josh Hazlewood’s recurring injury concerns, RCB are expected to use one overseas slot on a like-for-like fast bowler.

Yash Dayal’s lack of competitive cricket since the IPL final could also push RCB to look for a domestic left-arm pacer. Additionally, the release of several Indian batters leaves the squad thin on local batting backups.

Potential Targets:

Lungi Ngidi, Alzarri Joseph, Taskin Ahmed, Spencer Johnson, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Purse: ₹11.50 crore

Slots Available: 4

Overseas Slots: 2

Probable Playing XII

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal

Other Squad Members:

Vyshak Vijaykumar, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Xavier Bartlett

What PBKS Need

Punjab Kings have kept most of their main players and are going to the auction with only a few slots to fill but a good amount of money available. With already some high-quality foreign all-rounders in the team, PBKS might be interested in an overseas batsman, perhaps a wicketkeeper, for the sake of the team's lineup.

Injuries to Lockie Ferguson over the past few seasons might push PBKS to bring in a foreign pacer as a backup. An extra spin bowler to assist Yuzvendra Chahal may also be one of the options that the franchise will consider.

Possible Targets:

Shai Hope, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Henry, Anrich Nortje, Rahul Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Vignesh Puthur

Part II will discuss the other teams and their auction strategies as the IPL 2026 mini-auction nears.