Mumbai, Dec 9: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, featuring 350 cricketers 240 Indians and 110 overseas players. South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who recently came out of ODI retirement, has been added to the final list at a base price of Rs 1 crore.
Australia’s Steve Smith, who last played in the IPL in 2021, is also in the mix with a base price of Rs 2 crore. From a pool of 1,390 registered players, the IPL trimmed the list to 1,005 before finalizing 350 players to compete for the 77 slots available across 10 franchises in the 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league.
Top Indian players in the auction include Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, both with a base price of Rs 75 lakh. Key international stars include Australia’s Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk, New Zealand’s Devon Conway, and South Africa’s David Miller, each priced at Rs 2 crore. Venkatesh Iyer, released by Kolkata Knight Riders, has also entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Among franchises, Kolkata Knight Riders will enter the auction with the largest purse of Rs 64.3 crore, followed by five-time champions Chennai Super Kings with Rs 43.4 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad hold the third-highest purse at Rs 25.5 crore.
The auction promises intense competition as teams look to strengthen their squads for the upcoming IPL season.