There are not many sporting events that don’t have any players actually playing that draw as much attention as the IPL auction. The 2026 edition of the event is upon us, and while it’s a ‘mini-auction’,
where most teams only need enough players to fine-tune things, some also have huge purses and potentially era-defining targets. Here’s all you need to know about the event.
IPL 2026 auction: Start-time and venue
The IPL 2026 auction will be held on Tuesday, December 16, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It is scheduled to start at 1 pm local time, i.e., 2.30 pm Indian standard time and 9 am GMT.
How many players will be sold?
359 players will go under the hammer. 1355 candidates registered their names in the auction, but the IPL’s process means only those who gather official interest from any of the ten franchises make the final list.
A total of 77 slots are available, including 31 for overseas players, across the ten teams. Each team needs a minimum squad size of 18, which can go to a maximum limit of 25 players.
Slots available to each team
| Franchise | No of Players | No of Overseas Players | Total Slots Available | Total Overseas Slots Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSK | 16 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| DC | 17 | 3 | 8 | 5 |
| GT | 20 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| KKR | 12 | 2 | 13 | 6 |
| LSG | 19 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| MI | 20 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| PBKS | 21 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| RCB | 17 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| RR | 16 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
| SRH | 15 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
What budget does each team have?
| Franchise | Total Money Spent (Crore Rs.) | Salary Cap Available (Crore Rs.) |
|---|---|---|
| CSK | 81.6 | 43.4 |
| DC | 103.2 | 21.8 |
| GT | 112.1 | 12.9 |
| KKR | 60.7 | 64.3 |
| LSG | 102.05 | 22.95 |
| MI | 122.25 | 2.75 |
| PBKS | 113.5 | 11.5 |
| RCB | 108.6 | 16.4 |
| RR | 108.95 | 16.05 |
| SRH | 99.5 | 25.5 |
Are there any RTMs this time?
There are no Right To Match cards available to the teams in this auction.
Which players should I watch out for?
The obvious ones are Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith. Both are excellent T20 assets that should have a lot of teams lining up for them.
Apart from them, look out for uncapped stars like Vignesh Puthur (who played for the Mumbai Indians last year), left-arm wrist-spinner Krains Fuletra of Saurashtra, Rajasthan’s big-hitter Kartik Sharma, Delhi’s Salil Arora, and Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi.
Is There A Marquee Set?
No, because this is a mini-auction, there won’t be any marquee sets. The capped batters will come first on the list, and Green is in it, courtesy of a supposed ‘stuff-up’ by his manager.
What is the Rs. 18 crore rule?
Green is expected to get the most attention and might be able to cross the Rs. 25 crore threshold. However, one thing is key to remember: he and no other overseas player can earn more than Rs. 18 crore, even if a higher bid is placed.
This is due to the IPL’s ‘maximum-fee’ rule, which caps an overseas player’s mini-auction salary at the lower of these two values: the highest retention slab for the season (Rs. 18 crore) or the highest price from the previous mega auction (Rs. 27 crore, paid for Rishabh Pant).
Hence, even if Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sign Green for Rs. 25 crore, the remaining Rs. 7 crore will go back to the BCCI.
IPL 2026 auction: When and where to watch?
The IPL 2026 mini auction will be streamed live on the Jio Hotstar app and website, while television coverage will be available on the Star Sports Network.
You can also follow all the updates on News18 CricketNext‘s live blog right here.
