The IPL 2026 mini auction, held on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, turned out to be a blockbuster event, rewriting records and reshaping team combinations ahead of the new season. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green stole the spotlight by becoming the most expensive player in IPL history, while Indian stars Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan finally found buyers after intense bidding rounds.
With franchises investing heavily in uncapped Indian talent, the auction clearly signaled a shift toward building the future of Indian cricket alongside established international stars.
Cameron Green Becomes IPL’s Costliest Player
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made history by signing Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore, the highest bid ever in IPL auctions. Although Green was bought at a record price, IPL regulations cap an overseas player’s salary at ₹18 crore, with the remaining amount adjusted internally.
The bidding war saw KKR, Chennai Super Kings, and Rajasthan Royals battling fiercely before KKR sealed the deal.
Heavy Spending on Uncapped Indian Players
Several franchises showed strong faith in domestic talent:
- CSK spent ₹14.20 crore on Prashant Veer and ₹14 crore on Kartik Sharma
- Delhi Capitals signed Jammu & Kashmir pacer Aaqib Dar for ₹8.40 crore
- RCB invested heavily in all-rounder Mangesh Yadav
- Sunrisers Hyderabad focused exclusively on uncapped Indian players
This trend highlights IPL’s growing role as a launchpad for India’s next generation.
IPL 2026: Full Squads of All 10 Teams
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Hegde, Vishnu Vinod, Vaishak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly (₹3 cr), Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.4 cr), Pravin Dubey (₹30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (₹30 lakh)
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur (Trade), Sherfane Rutherford (Trade), Quinton de Kock (₹1 cr), Riyan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Naman Dhir, Mayank Markande (Trade), Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Izhar
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Cameron Green (₹25.20 cr), Matheesha Pathirana (₹18 cr), Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.20 cr), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Akash Deep
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Rajat Patidar (Captain), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Venkatesh Iyer (₹7 cr), Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Nathan Ellis, Mukesh Choudhary, Rahul Chahar (₹5.20 cr), Prashant Veer (₹14.2 cr), Kartik Sharma (₹14 cr), Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh), Mathew Short
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jos Buttler, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Jason Holder (₹7 cr), R Sai Kishore, Shahrukh Khan
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Pat Cummins (Captain), Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Liam Livingstone (₹13 cr), Jack Edwards (₹3 cr), Shivam Mavi, Salil Arora
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi (₹7.20 cr), Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen
Delhi Capitals (DC)
KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, David Miller (₹2 cr), Ben Duckett (₹2 cr), Aaqib Dar (₹8.40 cr), Prithvi Shaw (₹75 lakh), Lungi Ngidi, Pathum Nissanka
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Rishabh Pant (Captain), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Mohammed Shami (Trade), Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga (₹2 cr), Josh Inglis (₹8.6 cr), Akshat Raghuwanshi
Final Word
The IPL 2026 squads reflect a perfect blend of experience, youth, and global talent. With record-breaking signings, strong Indian investments, and balanced team structures, the upcoming IPL season promises intense competition and unforgettable moments.
