Many uncapped Indian players were in high demand during the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. At the event, teams spent a lot of money on young Indian and international players.
Previously, franchises have gone all out for uncapped talent. The same was true this time around. We witnessed historic transactions, with two kids becoming the most expensive uncapped players in IPL auction history.
Meanwhile, 77 players were sold during the IPL 2026 auction. The most expensive player was Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who signed with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹25.20 crore. He also became the most expensive overseas player in the IPL auctions.
With that said, these are the top five most expensive uncapped players in the IPL 2026:
1. Prashant Veer (₹14.20 crore)
At the IPL 2026 auction – Prashant Veer, the spin-bowling all-rounder and twenty-year-old made history with a blockbuster of a deal. A product of Uttar Pradesh, the young pacer had a base price of ₹30 lakh and he brought on heated bidding war that exploded to another level.
The Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants started it off, and soon after bottoms — the Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad — waded in. It was CSK who piped SRH with a ₹14.20 crore to secure the services of Prashant in the end.
It wasn’t without reason either as Prashant, who had enjoyed a decent season with 12 wickets from 9 T20 innings at an economy rate of 6.45 and scored 112 runs in just the seven innings he got to play striking at 167.16, did some justice to the billing. He also went past the previous record of Avesh Khan (₹10 crore in 2022) to become the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history.
2. Kartik Sharma (₹14.20 crore)
Chennai Super Kings further cashed-in on uncapped talent by shelling out ₹14.20 crore to acquire Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma – the joint-most expensive uncapped player alongside Prashant Veer.
The 19-year-old, who had entered the auction with a base price of ₹30 lakh, was pursued by CSK, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad. In the end it was a hard-fought battle for bids won by CSK.
Kartik has a flourishing T20 strike-rate of 162.92 after managing to score 334 runs in 11 innings. His attacking batting and keeping gave him two trades a year at the auction.
3. Auqib Nabi Dar (₹8.40 crore)
Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar struck gold at the IPL 2026 auction, with Delhi Capitals snapping him up for a staggering ₹8.40 crore. The bidding opened at his base price of ₹30 lakh, with DC jumping in first.
Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and SunRisers Hyderabad also entered the fray, but DC sustained their aggressive approach and eventually won the battle. Auqib’s strong current form fueled the steep rise in his price.
He has impressed in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025–26, picking up 15 wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 7.41. Overall, he boasts 43 wickets from 34 T20s at a frugal rate of 7.74 per over.
4. Mangesh Yadav (₹5.20 crore)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought Madhya Pradesh left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav for ₹5.20 crore after SunRisers Hyderabad pulled out following a bidding war. The uncapped pacer had entered the auction with a base price of ₹30 lakh.
RCB may have pursued him at skipper Rajat Patidar’s behest, given Patidar’s familiarity with Mangesh from the domestic circuit.
Mangesh starred for Madhya Pradesh in the Premier League 2025, topping the bowling charts with 14 wickets from six matches.
5. Tejasvi Singh (₹3 crore)
Delhi wicketkeeper-batter Tejasvi Singh made headlines ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction when Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for ₹3 crore. The deal placed him as the tournament’s tenth most expensive uncapped player.
Tejasvi has since smashed 113 runs from four T20 innings at an impressive strike rate of 168.65. He also impressed during the DPL 2025 league stage, piling up 339 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 190.45.
Having released Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz prior to the auction, KKR wanted Tejasvi as a long-term wicketkeeping option they can invest on in him.
