IPL 2026 Auction: Rs 215.45 Crore Spent For 77 Players - How All 10 Teams Fared

IPL 2026 mini-auction was conducted on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi and all the ten franchises made some interesting buys for the upcoming season. Australia all-rounder Cameron Green became the costliest buy of the event as he bagged Rs 25.20 crore from Kolkata Knight Riders while Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma became the joint-most-expensive uncapped Indian players to be signed by an IPL franchise, receiving Rs 14.20 crore each from Chennai Super Kings. Here's an analysis of how all the ten teams fared at the auction. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR were the busiest of the lot when it came to buying players, and with the biggest purse in the IPL 2026 auction, it came as little surprise that they bought Australia all-rounder Cameron Green for a record-breaking Rs 25.20 Crore. They also paid big money for the pace duo of Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore) and Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.2 crore). Coming to Indian talent, they decided to bet big on young wicket-keeper batter Tejasvi Dahiya, who was bought for Rs 3 crore. The three-time winners decided to rebuild their team completely after a disappointing show in IPL 2025, and although they were successful in adding quality players to their mix, they still need to decide on their captaincy pick.

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings entered the auction with the second-highest purse, and the majority of it was spent on two Indian uncapped players-Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. It was a massive gamble from the five-time champions, who decided to put their trust in youth instead of their usual reliance on experienced campaigners. They also made some smart choices, with Akeal Hosein, Rahul Chahar, and Matt Henry getting added to their ranks in order to bolster their attack. While they did find a replacement for Jadeja in Prashant, a lot will depend on how their young guns perform in IPL 2026.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The defending champions did not need many additions to their squad, but the most significant one was the acquisition of Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore. They wanted to buy the player in 2025 but were beaten by KKR's stunning Rs 23.75 crore bid. This time, there was not much competition as they found a solid No. 3 batting option, and with the addition of Jacob Duffy and the 140-plus left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav, they will be quite pleased with their business. However, they were not able to find a quality spinner in the auction, and the lack of a second option besides Suyash Sharma could prove to be a problem.

Punjab Kings

The IPL 2025 runners-up were barely active for most parts of the auction, and they only sprung into action in the last two hours. With Cooper Connolly providing them with a brilliant all-rounder option in the middle order and pacer Ben Dwarshuis adding firepower to the pace attack, they will be quite happy with their overseas recruitments. However, much like RCB, the pick of Vishal Nishad as a cover for Yuzvendra Chahal can be something that proves to be a tricky option for the franchise.

Mumbai Indians 

Mumbai Indians went into the auction with the lowest purse among the 10 teams, and most of their picks were strategic choices. They began by picking Quinton de Kock as a cover for Ryan Rickelton and also added the likes of Atharva Ankolekar and Mohammed Izhar. A quiet but effective auction for the five-time champions, who have a great squad at their disposal for IPL 2026.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The big buy for SRH was England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore, and his addition turned their batting line-up into nothing short of a marvel. The franchise has no dearth of power hitters, but despite signing a number of Indian pacers, it remains to be seen who can take the place of Mohammed Shami. They also did not get any experienced spinners despite bidding hard for Ravi Bishnoi, and once again, they will be reliant on their stellar batting line-up to win matches.

Gujarat Titans

GT went hard for Jason Holder, and they ended up getting the West Indies veteran for Rs 7 crore to bolster their middle order and provide competition to Glenn Phillips. The franchise waited till the end of the auction to pick up Luke Wood and Tom Banton to provide overseas options in the squad, and the addition of Ashok Sharma and Prithvi Raj Yarra will surely bolster their already stacked pace attack.

Lucknow Super Giants

It was a mixed bag for LSG, who did not get any proven finisher in the auction despite releasing David Miller. Instead, they spent big for Josh Inglis, who fetched Rs 8.6 crore despite being unavailable for the majority of the next season. Wanindu Hasaranga was brought in place of Ravi Bishnoi while Andrich Nortje was also added, but the lack of a middle-order batter could prove to be a worry for them.

Delhi Capitals

DC had the best start to their auction as they got David Miller for the base price of Rs 2 crore, and that allowed them to spend Rs 8.4 crore for the promising Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Dar. Even the additions of Pathum Nissanka and Ben Duckett meant that KL Rahul will have an explosive opening partner in the next season. It was a highly successful auction for the franchise, and if their top-order batters can click at the right moment, it can be a brilliant campaign for them.

Rajasthan Royals

RR decided to release both Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana ahead of the auction, and they made sure that Ravi Bishnoi joined the franchise for Rs 7.2 crore. With Yash Raj Punja and Vignesh Puthur also joining the team, they now boast a solid spin attack comprising Indian players. They also added Adam Milne to provide support to Jofra Archer, but the lack of a power hitter in the lower middle order can still prove to be a sore spot for the franchise.

Topics mentioned in this article

Rajasthan Royals Lucknow Super Giants Gujarat Titans Mumbai Indians Delhi Capitals Kolkata Knight Riders Chennai Super Kings Sunrisers Hyderabad Royal Challengers Bengaluru Punjab Kings IPL 2026 Cricket