The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction is set to be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 16. Fans are waiting with bated breath
to see how their favourite teams will perform at the auction table ahead of next year's IPL.
A total of 350 cricketers, including 240 Indians, will go under the hammer in the IPL auction. 40 cricketers have opted for the highest base price bracket of INR 2 crore. On the other hand, 227 uncapped domestic players have fixed their base price at the lowest bracket of INR 30 lakh.
While speaking to Star Sports, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn picked his five most desirable players heading into the auction. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green tops this list. Steyn believes that whichever team ropes Green in will be extremely beneficial because of his all-round talent.
"He has the ability to bat and bowl, so an incredible all-rounder. The flexibility with his batting. If you want, you can open the batting with him or bat him at 3 or bring him later down the order, maybe 6. He has the ability to hit the ball out the ground, which is exactly what you want in players at the IPL. And then he can also open the bowling so all-round, he is just an absolute perfect player to have and a perfect fit into most teams," Steyn said while speaking to Star Sports.
Steyn went on to name the experienced David Miller as the second most desirable cricketer available at the auction. The cricketer-turned-commentator hailed Miller as the perfect middle-order batter in the shortest format.
"He fits in perfectly at No. 5, sometimes even No. 4. He is a finisher of the game but also someone who can play the long innings. So if you do find yourself in trouble, two or three wickets down, he can hold the innings together and still capitalize at the back end. One of the most destructive players, and it's not just slogging, it's calculative hitting. He's just the perfect batter in T20s in the middle-order," said Steyn.
Meanwhile, Matheesha Pathirana was the third name picked by Steyn. The young Sri Lankan seamer was released by the Chennai Super Kings after a dismal performance last season. However, the youngster can be an asset for a team if he finds his rhythm and form.
"He's just such a unique bowler. Bowls a great slower ball and a great yorker, and can rush you with the bouncer. It takes batters a couple of deliveries to get used to him, which results in dot balls that are absolute gold dust in T20 cricket."
At the No. 4 position, Steyn went with England all-rounder Liam Livingstone. The latter played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025 without much success.
Venkatesh Iyer - Only Indian player in Steyn's list
Venkatesh Iyer was signed for a whopping INR 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega-auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he failed to live up to his expectations last season and was subsequently released by the three-time champions in November. Steyn believes that Iyer could be a valuable addition to a team, especially because of his wealth of experience.
"He has shown what he is capable of. And he is a high-profile Indian not playing for the national team right now. But he has tons of experience, and when you have that, and you are an Indian player, the rest of the squad feeds off it. He will rally together all the other guys, which is always a good sign," said Steyn.
