The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction ended on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi, with some established stars and new players signing hefty contracts for the next season. All ten organizations successfully filled their rosters to the maximum of 25 players, making this one of the most exciting mini-auctions in recent memory.
Former Champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) tendered ₹25.20 crore for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and is amongst the top-five expensive buys. MI started the bidding and KKR triumphed in his acquisition after a bit of back-and-forth between several teams, 117 bids in all.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana emerged as the next most expensive player. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had retained him before the auction, and he drew significant attention during the bidding. Kolkata Knight Riders eventually secured his services, splashing out a sharply inflated ₹18 crore.
Prashanth Veer and Kartik Sharma, two uncapped Indian cricketers, finished third and fourth, respectively. CSK signed both players for ₹14.20 crore each, making it the most expensive uncapped acquisitions in IPL auction history. The five-time champions regard Veer, an all-rounder, and Sharma, a wicketkeeper-batsman, as long-term investment opportunities.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) signed English all-rounder Liam Livingstone for ₹13 crore as a top five. Having had a below-par season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) last time around, Livingstone was among the top picks at the auction and would look to add value in an overseas pack that has Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins amongst others.
Green, Pathirana and Livingstone emerged as the three most expensive overseas captures. Meanwhile, the highly sought-after Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman joined KKR, who paid ₹9.20 crore to secure his services. In addition, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) snapped up England wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis for ₹8.60 crore, even though he will remain available for only a limited number of matches this season.
5 most expensive buys in the IPL 2026 mini auction
| Player | Country | Role | Franchise | Price (INR) |
| Cameron Green | Australia | All Rounder | Kolkata Knight Riders | 25.20 crore |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | Bowler | Kolkata Knight Riders | 18 crore |
| Prashant Veer | India | All Rounder | Chennai Super Kings | 14.20 crore |
| Kartik Sharma | India | Wicketkeeper | Chennai Super Kings | 14.20 crore |
| Liam Livingstone | England | All Rounder | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 crore |
5 most expensive overseas players in the IPL 2026 mini auction
| Player | Country | Role | Franchise | Price (INR) |
| Cameron Green | Australia | All Rounder | Kolkata Knight Riders | 25.20 crore |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | Bowler | Kolkata Knight Riders | 18 crore |
| Liam Livingstone | England | All Rounder | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 crore |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | Bowler | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9.20 crore |
| Josh Inglis | Australia | Wicketkeeper | Lucknow Super Giants | 8.60 crore |
