Set 5 starts. Capped spinners. Rahul Chahar is first name up, but he goes UNSOLD. Ravi Bishnoi is the next name. Surely the Indian spinner, who was once No. 1 T20I bowler in the world, gets a big price.

...And RR and CSK are bidding for Bishnoi!

South African speedster Anrich Nortje is SOLD to Lucknow Super Giants! The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise went hard for Pathirana before pulling out at Rs 18 crore. Now, they get Nortje for just Rs 2 crore! Base price buy.

Australian pacer Spencer Johnson and Afghan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi go UNSOLD.

Matheesha Pathirana SOLD to KKR! Rs 18 crore! Kolkata Knight Riders shell out another massive chunk of their purse for the talented Sri Lankan pacer, who will be mentored by Tim Southee and Dwayne Bravo next year.

KKR now have the two highest buys of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Pathirana's bidding has crosses Rs 17 crore! Kolkata Knight Riders have entered after Delhi Capitals exited. And LSG exit the bidding at Rs 18 crore! Will there be another bid?

Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are in an intense bidding war for Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathiraa. A player who was released by CSK for Rs 13 crore is now being fought for by DC and LSG!

The bidding crosses Rs 10 crore!

New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy will play for RCB! The opening bid is the closing bid, and the reigning champs pick up an alternate option for Josh Hazlewood at base price of Rs 2 crore.

South African pacer Gerald Coetzee also goes UNSOLD.

The auction has started for Set 4, which features capped fast bowlers! Matt Henry is the first name out of the bag, but he goes UNSOLD at his base price of Rs 2 crore. No bid.

"We've been going after him in the past, and we're happy to get him. He adds some leadership quality as well. Looking forward to working with him," says Andy Flower, head coach of reigning champions RCB, on the Rs 7 crore buy of Venkatsh Iyer.

"We were keen but not so attached to Cameron Green, so had he gone a lot higher, we would've let him go. We are very happy with the price," says KKR CEO Venky Mysore, on their record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore buy.

Here's a recap of Set 3, which included capped wicket-keeper batters. A number of players going unsold at the start, but Ben Duckett and Finn Allen found buyers at the end.

KS Bharat - Unsold

Quinton de Kock - SOLD, MI (Rs 1 crore)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz - Unsold

Jonny Bairstow - Unsold

Jamie Smith - Unsold

Ben Duckett - SOLD, DC (Rs 2 crore)

Finn Allen - SOLD, KKR (Rs 2 crore)

Here's a recap of Set 2, which included capped all-rounders. Venkatesh Iyer went for good money, but Liam Livingstone did not get a bid!

Gus Atkinson - Unsold

Rachin Ravindra - Unsold

Wiaan Mulder - Unsold

Liam Livingstone - Unsold

Wanindu Hasaranga - SOLD, LSG (Rs 2 crore)

Venkatesh Iyer -  SOLD, RCB (Rs 7 crore)

Deepak Hooda - Unsold

Two sales to end Set 3, wicket-keepers! England wicket-keeper batter Ben Duckett goes to Delhi Capitals at his base price of Rs 2 crore. New Zealand wicket-keeper batter Finn Allen is bought by KKR for Rs 2 crore as well! Base price buys!

BIG NEWS! Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Smith, two highly-rated England wicket-keeper batters, both go UNSOLD. No bid for either of them at their base prices. Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz also goes unsold.

Mumbai Indians buy Quinton de Kock! The South African wicket-keeper batter goes back to the Wankhede at his base price of Rs 1 crore. The left-hander recently smashed a century against India in the ODI series.

Deepak Hooda, the final name among the capped all-rounders, goes unsold. Auction starts for Set 3, which features capped wicket-keeper batters. KS Bharat is first up, but he goes unsold.

SOLD! RCB get Venkatesh Iyer! KKR pull out of the bidding, and the defending champions get him for Rs 7 crore. Remember, these two franchises had indulged in a massive bidding war for Venkatesh last year, after which KKR had got him for Rs 23.75 crore.

A long time before any bids come up for Venkatesh Iyer. LSG make the opening bid of Rs 2 crore, GT enter, but both exit soon. RCB and KKR now in a bidding war for the batting all-rounder. His bidding reaches Rs 5 crore!

Remember, Venkatesh smashed 70 off 43 earlier today for Madhya Pradesh.

First buy for LSG! Lucknow Super Giants pick up Sri Lankan spin-bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga at his base price of Rs 2 crore. No bidding war for Hasaranga. 

Meanwhile, South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder goes unsold. No bids at Rs 1 crore.

UNSOLD. This is a massive, massive surprise! England power-hitter Liam Livingstone does not fetch a single bid at his base price of Rs 2 crore. Expected by many to go for Rs 10 crore or more, Livingstone is unsold for now.

He may come up later.

Bidding for Set 2 of the IPL 2026 mini auction - capped all-rounders - starts. The first player up is England all-rounder Gus Atkinson. He goes UNSOLD at his base price of Rs 2 crore. Rachin Ravindra is up next. He also goes UNSOLD.

The biggest attractions of this phase should be Liam Livingstone and Venkatesh Iyer.

Here's a recap of the first set of capped batters. 4 players go unsold, 2 sold. Cameron Green becomes the costliest overseas player in IPL history.

Jake Fraser-McGurk - Unsold

David Miller - SOLD, DC (Rs 2 crore)

Prithvi Shaw - Unsold

Devon Conway - Unsold

Cameron Green - SOLD, KKR (Rs 25.20 crore)

Sarfaraz Khan - Unsold

Much like Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan also goes UNSOLD! No bids for the Indian batter at his base price of Rs 75 lakh. Sarfaraz smashed 73 runs off just 22 balls today for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but he doesn't fetch a bid in the opening phase of the IPL 2026 auction.

And that's the end of Set 1.

IT'S DONE! Cameron Green SOLD to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore! CSK pull out of the bidding, and the three-time champions KKR secure the star Australian all-rounder for a record fee for an overseas player in IPL history!

WOW!

Cameron Green is now guaranteed to be the highest-selling overseas player in the history of the IPL! His bidding reaches Rs 25 crore, and he goes past the previous record set by Mitchell Starc, who was bought by KKR for Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.

We go past Rs 20 crore! Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders continue to battle for the services of the Australian all-rounder. No sign of relenting from either franchise. Rishabh Pant's record - Rs 27 crore - is at risk!

Here comes Chennai Super Kings! Rajasthan Royals pull out at Rs 13.60 crore. CSK enter the bidding, as many expected. The bidding crosses Rs 15 crore. A big round of applause from the auction room as the five-time champions enter the bidding war.

KKR and RR continue to battle for Cameron Green! The bidding war is on, and the amount crosses Rs 10 crore! And it's going... and still going! We're past Rs 13 crore. Will we see a record being broken today?

Rajasthan Royals, who have a purse of Rs 16.05 crore, are still hanging on to the bidding. 

Cameron Green is here! Surely the most highly sought-after player of the auction. Mumbai Indians, who have the lowest budget, start off the bidding at Rs 2 crore.

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals take over the bidding after that. The bidding has crossed Rs 7 crore!

UNSOLD! Prithvi Shaw, the highly-talented young Indian opener does not fetch a single bid at his base price of Rs 75 lakh. For the second auction in a row! Another shock, as he's been in decent form in domestic cricket.

Devon Conway, the wicket-keeper batter from New Zealand, also goes UNSOLD.

David Miller is SOLD to Delhi Capitals! Expected to be one of the most highly sought-after middle-order batters, he goes at just his base price of just Rs 2 crore! Bit of a shock, it has to be said. 

Next up, Prithvi Shaw. Base price: Rs 75 lakh.

Big news! Jake Fraser-McGurk is UNSOLD. No bid at his base price of Rs 2 crore. He may come up later in the accelerated phase. Next up, South African star David Miller!

Mallika Sagar, the auctioneer, now steps onto the podium. The first set is underway, featuring capped batters. The first player up is Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has a base price of Rs 2 crore.

We are LIVE! The IPL 2026 auction is underway at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal addresses the people present first. "Tonight, every paddle raised will be an example of faith in rising stars," he says.

The bidding should be starting soon.

The teams are arriving to the auction room at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The tables and chairs are set, the players, coaches and owners are about to take their seat. We are all set to go any moment now!

We are just around 10 minutes from the start of the IPL 2026 mini auction in Abu Dhabi. Teams are completing their last bit of prep, and very soon, we'll see some big pay cheques being shelled out. Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Venkatesh Iyer? Who'll get the biggest amount? We'll find out soon.

"Look, if you talk about international fast bowlers, I think Matheesha Pathirana will still be a hot pick because of the skill level he brings, even though he's had some fitness issues and an off year. Gerald Coetzee is another interesting name -- not just for his bowling, but he can also bat down at No. 8, which adds balance. And then there's Ashok Sharma, whose speed and ability to hit the stumps make him one to watch. These three are the ones I think will be hot picks in the auction," Irfan Pathan said on JioStar.

What a time for Sarfaraz Khan to come up with a stunning knock! The ignored India star slammed 73 off just 22 deliveries for Mumbai during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Rajasthan. An innings adorned with 6 fours and 7 sixes at a strike rate of 331.82.

We are just 30 minutes away from the start of the IPL auction. An exciting event for all cricket fans as all eyes will be on Cameron Green who is widely expected to be the costliest pick and even challenge Rishabh Pant's Rs 27 crore record in last year's auction. On the other hand, Ravi Bishnoi is being considered as the Indian player who will end up getting the big money with some franchises looking for a quality spinner.

A sensational development - India's 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter Abhigyan Kundu has just smashed 209 off just 125 balls against Malaysia in the U19 Asia Cup 2025. It is the fastest double century in professional 50-over cricket history!

Unfortunately... Abhigyan Kundu is not in the IPL auction today.

PBKS Needs: Last year's runners-up are mainly going to look out for a replacement for Josh Inglis, who they released as the Australian is set to be unavailable for the majority of IPL 2026. They may also eye a Glenn Maxwell replacement.

PBKS Potential Targets: Jamie Smith, Cooper Connolly, Jonny Bairstow, Daryl Mitchell, Jake Fraser-McGurk

GT Needs: Gujarat Titans will be eyeing a middle-order stalwart, possibly of the overseas kind, after trading Sherfane Rutherford to MI. Given Kagiso Rabada's injury record, GT may also be aiming to get an overseas fast bowler. 

GT Potential Targets: David Miller, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Cooper Connolly

DC Needs: Overseas batters are set to be at the top of Delhi Capitals' wishlist, having let go of both Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk. DC's batting is the main area needing improvement, and they'll be on the hunt for at least one opener. An Indian pacer could also be wanted by them.

DC Potential Targets: David Miller, Jamie Smith, Quinton de Kock, Auqib Dar, Simarjeet Singh

LSG Needs: Lucknow Super Giants' main priority is likely to be solving their middle-order problems, and add more steel, as they have released David Miller ahead of the auction. They could also a spinner.

LSG Potential Targets: Liam Livingstone, Kartik Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhinav Manohar

RR Needs: Rajasthan Royals' priority is likely to be getting an Indian spinner, having released both Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. They could also look for a top-order Indian batter to fill the shoes of the departed Sanju Samson.

RR Potential Targets: Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Chahar, Michael Bracewell, David Miller

SRH Needs: Sunrisers Hyderabad will be eyeing up a couple of Indian fast-bowling options, possibly a high-profile Indian spinner, and maybe a finisher as well. They could also aim for backups for their overseas stars like Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen.

SRH Potential Targets: Kartik Sharma, Auqib Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Salil Arora, Ravi Bishnoi

MI Needs: Mumbai Indians are also all set to go. The five-time champions have their playing XII ready, and even most of their backups. An alternate option for Ryan Rickelton and an Indian spin-bowling option will be their main requirements.

MI Potential Targets: Quinton de Kock, Jonny Bairstow, Finn Allen, Salil Arora, Sarfaraz Khan

RCB Needs: RCB's team is as good as complete. The reigning champions will be on improving players already in their team. An Indian top-order batter, middle order backup and an Indian spinner could be their main priorities.

RCB Potential Targets: Venkatesh Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, David Miller, Rahul Chahar, Prithvi Shaw

KKR Needs: Where do we start? KKR have the most holes to fill. The three-time winners ideally need a top-order overseas batter, who can keep wickets. They'll also look for a bonafide Andre Russell replacement, a finisher and an overseas fast bowler. KKR may also bid for a captaincy candidate.

KKR Potential Targets: Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Kartik Sharma

CSK Needs: CSK will primarily look to bolster their lower middle-order, which has been affected by the trades of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. A lead Indian spinner and an overseas pacer could be their other targets.

CSK Potential Targets: Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi, Matheesha Pathirana, Matt Henry Prashanth Veer

Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone or any other overseas player cannot earn more than Rs 18 crore, even if they fetch a bid northwards of that amount. The bidding can cross that figure, but the player won't earn more than Rs 18 crore.

This rule is also to prevent overseas players from skipping mega auctions to register only for mini-auctions.

Ravi Bishnoi could end up being one of the highest earners today. Franchises like CSK, SRH and RR are in the hunt for a frontline spinner. Apart from Bishnoi, Rahul Chahar is another Indian spinner in the auction with good IPL pedigree. 

England's Liam Livingstone could well be one of the highest-earning players in the IPL 2026 auction. A middle-order power-hitter who can bowl a bit of spin, Livingstone was released by RCB ahead of the auction. However, given the requirements of many teams for powerful options in the middle-order, Livingstone is expected to fetch more than the Rs 8.75 crore he went for last year.

Given the dearth of established overseas all-rounders, Livingstone could fetch bids from multiple franchises, and not just CSK or KKR.

The massive bids attracted by uncapped Indian talents are often the biggest talking points of an IPL mini auction. Let's take a look at 10 uncapped players who could go for big money today:

1. Auqib Nabi: fast bowler

2. Tushar Raheja: wicket-keeper batter

3. Kartik Sharma: wicket-keeper batter

4. Salil Arora: wicket-keeper batter

5. Ashok Sharma: fast bowler

6. Akash Madhwal: fast bowler

7. Vignesh Puthur: spinner

8. Prashant Veer: all-rounder

9. Kanishk Chouhan: all-rounder

10. Abhinav Manohar: batter

New Zealand's wicket-keeper batter Tim Seifert has also made a serious impression just a day ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL), Seifert smashed 102 off just 56 balls against Brisbane Heat yesterday.

Overseas and Indian fast bowlers are expected to be wanted by many teams today, in particular CSK and KKR who have big budgets. Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana is the most high-profile name in the auction, and could trigger a big bidding war.

New Zealand's Jacob Duffy and Matt Henry, South Africa's Gerald Coetzee, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi and India's Akash Deep and Auqib Nabi are all expected to be wanted by franchises.

Two names expected to go for big money today have just sent another message to the IPL teams this morning. Venkatesh Iyer has smashed 70 off just 43 balls for Madhya Pradesh, as an opener against Punjab in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) clash.
Punjab's talented young wicket-keeper batter Salil Arora has also slammed a quickfire half-century!

This year's IPL auction will be quite lowkey due to the absence of some big names from the pool. Andre Russell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell are among the big name absentees from the IPL 2026 auction. Russell and Ashwin have retired from the IPL, while Du Plessis opted to play in the PSL this year.

At 39, Jalaj Saxena will be the oldest player in the auction while Afghanistan’s Wahidullah Zadran is the youngest at just over 18 years.

New Zealand's Devon Conway, Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk, South Africa's David Miller, and India's Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw are also part of the first set of batters. All overseas stars in this set have a base price of Rs 2 crore, while the two Indian players have set their base price at Rs 75 lakh.

The mini-auction is always more intriguing than the mega auction as franchises come with specific choices and are always ready to go the distance to procure the services of players with distinct skill-sets. Pace bowling all-rounders always come at a premium and therefore, the troika of Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer and West Indies' Jason Holder, all coming at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore (USD 220,000), are set to headline the bidding war.

Just few hours before the auction, India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer delivered a timely reminder of his credentials with a polished 70 off 43 deliveries for Madhya Pradesh in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite 2025 Super League Group A fixture against Punjab. This knock will definitely boost his chances of fetching large sum at the auction. 

There is buzz that Cameron Green might surpass Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the overseas player with the highest price tag at an IPL auction but there would still remain a catch. Even if Green's bid goes northwards of Rs 25 crore, his salary for the season would still be Rs 18 crore. The bid amount and players' salary would be mutually exclusive with the former being deducted from team's annual player purse. The reason being IPL's "maximum-fee" rule which states that a foreign player's maximum fee at a mini auction will be the lower value between the highest retention slab (Rs 18 crore) and the highest price at the previous mega auction (Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant in 2025).

Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, along with out-of-favour India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and English dasher Liam Livingstone, is likely to enjoy a handsome payday. Kolkata Knight Riders, with a purse of Rs 64.30 crore and an eye on rebuilding the outfit with 13 slots to fill, can only be challenged by Chennai Super Kings, who enter the mini-auction with a purse of Rs 43.40 crore.

The 10 teams need to fill up 77 slots with a cumulative purse of Rs 237.55 crore and among them.

CSK: 9 (4 overseas)

Delhi Capitals 8 (5 overseas)

Gujarat Titans: 5 (4 overseas)

Kolkata Knight Riders: 13 (6 overseas)

Lucknow Super Giants: 6 (4 overseas)

Mumbai Indians: 5 (1 overseas)

Punjab Kings: 4 (2 overseas)

Rajasthan Royals: 9 (1 overseas)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 8 (2 overseas)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 10 (2 overseas)

1. Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs. 64.30 crore

2. Chennai Super Kings: Rs. 43.40 crore

3. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rs. 25.50 crore

4. Lucknow Super Giants: Rs. 22.95 crore

5. Delhi Capitals: Rs. 21.80 crore

6. Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rs. 16.40 crore

7. Rajasthan Royals: Rs. 16.05 crore

8. Gujarat Titans: Rs. 12.90 crore

9. Punjab Kings: Rs. 11.50 crore

10. Mumbai Indians: Rs. 2.75 crore

One of the most highly-anticipated days of the Indian cricket calendar, franchises will splash out big money as they aim to bolster their teams for IPL 2026. With the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) having massive purses, the mini-auction is likely to make a fair few millionaires

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL 2026 mini auction, straight from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Stay tuned for all the Live Updates.