Mumbai, December 9. The stage is set for the Indian Premier League 2026 auction scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, where a total of 350 cricketers will go under the hammer. The final list comprises 240 Indian cricketers and 110 overseas players who will be vying for spots in the lucrative tournament.
South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who recently made a return from retirement in ODIs, has been included in the final list with a base price of one crore rupees. As per agency report, the list also features Australian batter Steve Smith with a base price of two crore rupees, marking his potential return after last playing in the league in 2021. Originally, 1390 players had registered for the auction, which was later trimmed to 1005 before the final shortlist of 350 was prepared. The ten IPL franchises will bid to fill the remaining 77 slots from this pool of players.
The first set of players in the auction includes Mumbai batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, both of whom have set their base price at 75 lakh rupees. Shaw played in the league from 2018 to 2024 but went unsold in the previous auction, while Sarfaraz has not featured in the tournament since 2021. Among other Indian talents, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by Kolkata Knight Riders, has listed his base price at two crore rupees. Additionally, players like Kunal Chandela and Ashok Kumar have made it to the final list following impressive performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
Several high-profile international cricketers have listed themselves in the highest base price bracket of two crore rupees. The list shared by the IPL includes Australian players Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk, former Chennai Super Kings opener Devon Conway from New Zealand, and South African David Miller. Cameron Green is expected to attract significant bids during the event. Regarding the financial resources available for the auction, three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders will enter with the highest purse of 64.3 crore rupees. They are followed by five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, who have 43.4 crore rupees remaining, while Sunrisers Hyderabad holds the third position with a purse of 25.5 crore rupees.
The final auction list features a significant representation from England with 21 players, including wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, pacer Gus Atkinson, Liam Livingstone, and Test opener Ben Duckett. Australia has 19 players in the fray, with Josh Inglis, Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly, and Beau Webster joining Green in the list. South Africa has 15 representatives, including pacers Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder alongside de Kock and Miller.
From the West Indies, nine players including fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, Ackeem Auguste, Shai Hope, and Roston Chase have been shortlisted. Sri Lanka has 12 players in the list, featuring Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Traveen Mathew, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Kusal Perera. New Zealand has 16 players, including Rachin Ravindra who was released by Chennai Super Kings, while Afghanistan has 10 players including Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Naveen-ul-Haq.
