IPL 2026 Player List: Green Tops Auction

The IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi witnessed some intense bidding wars on Tuesday, with teams spending a total of ₹237.55 crore to secure their desired players. The auction featured a base price range from ₹30 lakh to ₹2 crore.

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired him for a staggering ₹25.20 crore. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. due to IPL auction rules, Green's contract is capped at ₹18 crore, with the excess amount going to the BCCI's welfare fund. Previously, Mitchell Starc held the record for the most expensive overseas player, bought by KKR for ₹24.75 crore for the IPL 2024 season.

The Etihad Arena also saw significant interest in uncapped Indian players. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with the second-largest purse of ₹43.40 crore, secured Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for ₹14.2 crore each, making them the joint-most expensive uncapped players. Avesh Khan, who was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹10 crore in IPL 2023, previously held this distinction.

KKR, entering the auction with the largest purse of ₹64.30 crore and only 12 players, were the first team to complete their squad of 25. Besides Green, they also acquired Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana for ₹18 crore.

Each franchise had a budget of ₹125 crore to build a squad of 18 to 25 players, with a maximum of eight overseas players. Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants did not fill their overseas player quota, each having seven.

Out of 369 cricketers, the 10 teams filled a total of 77 slots. Mumbai Indians, with a limited budget of ₹2.75 crore, managed to acquire experienced wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock for ₹1 crore.