IPL Mini Auction 2026 Updates: Hyderabad Yet to Enter the Bidding

The IPL 2026 mini auction was a three-day affair in Abu Dhabi, and it was nothing short of thrilling as the franchises were all set to compete against one another to make their teams much stronger before the 19th season of the Indian Premier League, which is very likely to be held in March 2026, around the 3rd week. Ten teams had a total budget of ₹237.55 crore to choose 77 players out of a pool of 350 players shortlisted for the auction.

Biggest Buys of the Auction

The biggest highlight of the auction was the massive bidding war initiated for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who took over as the most costly overseas player in the IPL ever. After a dramatic tussle with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped Green with a surprising bid of ₹25.20 crore. Being just 26 years old, his power to score runs and take wickets made him the topmost choice of many franchises.

People started to watch Sri Lankan fast bowler Matisha Pathirana very closely as he also managed to get a big price. The starting price was set at ₹2 crore, and having that as the baseline, named players were fiercely competing with each other so quickly that soon everyone was in a bidding war and KKR finally got Pathirana for ₹18 crore.

Royal Challengers Bangalore took Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore, while David Miller, Delhi Capitals’ pick, cost them his minimum price of ₹2 crores. Interestingly, many players were left without a team, including KS Bharat, Prithvi Shaw, and Australian opening batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Auction Trends

Compared to the previous mega auctions, this mini auction was a different story. A lot of seasoned players, like Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis, made their presence felt in the spotlight with young international talents being the likes of Cameron Green, Matisha Pathirana, Ravi Bishnoi, and Liam Livingstone, among others. The same is true for domestic players from India, fast bowlers and spinners included, who were in the limelight and got several offers made on them through competitive bidding.

The auction process was systematic: the international players were the first to be called, then the uncapped domestic players, followed by the categories of batters, all-rounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers, and spinners. For 40 players, the highest base price was set at ₹2 crore, while 227 players were priced at ₹30 lakh.

Team Purse and Retention Details

Among the various franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders made the biggest bang for their buck with a purse of ₹64.30 crore, which was the largest among all the franchises, that gave them a pretty strong advantage in the bidding wars. The Chennains had ₹43.40 crore left while the Mumbai Indians were the ones with the remaining lowest purse of ₹2.75 corn.

The teams were allowed to fill one limited slot each with a maximum of 22–25 players in the squad. Every bid had to be well thought out, taking into account the right mix of international stars and promising domestic talent.

Record Prices in IPL Auction History

There are a few players in the IPL auctions who have received record-breaking sums in the past. Still, the highest-price player remains Rishabh Pant, who was purchased by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore during the 2025 mega auction. Shreyas Iyer is perhaps the closest at ₹26.75 crore. Six players went over ₹16 crores in the mini auction showing that franchises are ready to spend a lot on the top players.

Looking Ahead

With the IPL 2026 season starting in March, the franchises now see themselves preparing their respective teams for a duel that will be nothing but the most exciting and the most competitive. MLB fans in India are guaranteed to witness new stars emerge accompanied by record-breaking performances on the field, which will make this season even more interesting than ever history-wise.