IPL 2026 Auction Players List with Price: Sold, Unsold and Complete Bidding Results

The IPL auction is one of the most dramatic and entertaining events in the entire world of sport. Every year, franchise owners, cricket boards, analysts, fans and fantasy cricket enthusiasts across the globe watch with intense fascination as the world’s best T20 cricketers are bought and sold in a frenzy of competitive bidding that can turn an unknown domestic player into a millionaire in seconds. The IPL 2026 auction is no different — in fact, with the salary cap increased and the competition for the very best talent more intense than ever, this auction promises to be one of the most exciting in IPL history.

In this comprehensive guide, CrickViews covers every aspect of the IPL 2026 auction players list with price — from the format and rules of the auction to the complete list of sold players with their final prices, the biggest buys of the event, the shocking unsold players, and a detailed team-by-team breakdown of each franchise’s auction spending and strategy. This is the complete IPL 2026 auction reference guide you need.

IPL 2026 Auction: Format and Key Dates

The IPL 2026 auction is a two-day event (for mega auctions) or a single-day event (for mini auctions), typically held in December of the year preceding the season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announces the auction dates and venue several weeks in advance, giving franchises time to complete their scouting, analysis, and strategic planning.

The 2026 auction follows the retention window during which each franchise announces their retained players. Players not retained are returned to the auction pool, where they are available for all ten franchises to bid on. This creates the fundamental dynamic of the auction — every released player, from the biggest international star to the most promising uncapped domestic talent, is available to any franchise willing to pay the right price.

The auction itself is conducted by an official auctioneer, typically the charismatic Hugh Edmeades, who has presided over many IPL auctions. Franchise representatives sit at designated booths with their team management staff, auction specialists, and data analysts. Each booth has screens displaying real-time information about each player — their statistics, base price, and the current bid level — helping franchise representatives make informed decisions throughout the fast-moving bidding process.

IPL 2026 Salary Cap: How Much Can Each Team Spend?

The BCCI has progressively increased the IPL salary cap in recent years to reflect the tournament’s growing commercial value. For IPL 2026, each franchise has been allocated a salary cap (also called the purse) that represents the total amount they can spend on retained players plus auction purchases. Teams that retain expensive players have a smaller auction budget, while teams that released most of their squad have significantly more to spend.

The salary cap increase for IPL 2026 means franchises can spend more than ever before on premium players, making it more likely that we will see record-breaking auction prices. When multiple franchise owners believe a player is worth premium investment and they have the funds available to pursue aggressively, bidding wars can escalate prices to extraordinary levels.

Key facts about the IPL 2026 salary cap:

• Each franchise has a maximum salary cap (exact figure to be confirmed by BCCI)
• Retained players’ salaries are deducted from the cap at predetermined rates
• Each franchise must have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players in their final squad
• A minimum of 4 matches must include Indian players in specific positions
• Overseas player limit: maximum 8 in squad, maximum 4 playing in any single match

How the Bidding Process Works

Players are brought to auction in groups based on their category and base price. The categories typically include marquee players (listed individually at the start for maximum excitement), fast bowlers, batsmen, all-rounders, wicketkeepers, and uncapped players. Each category is auctioned separately, allowing franchises to budget for their specific needs.

When a player is announced, the auctioneer opens bidding at the player’s base price. Franchises indicate their interest by raising their auction paddle, and the auctioneer accepts bids in increments that increase as the price rises. Bidding continues until only one franchise remains willing to bid at the current price. The player is then sold to that franchise at the final bid price, and the transaction is recorded in real time.

The drama of the auction comes from the bidding wars — moments when two or three franchises are locked in competition for the same player, each raising the paddle again and again as the price climbs far beyond the player’s nominal base price. These moments generate the most excitement among viewers watching the live broadcast and create the auction’s most memorable headlines.

Base Price Categories in IPL 2026 Auction

Players in the IPL 2026 auction enter at various base price levels based on their experience, recent form, and the price they (or their franchise) have set. The typical base price categories are:

• ₹2 crore: Premier international players and established IPL performers
• ₹1.5 crore: Good international players and solid IPL contributors
• ₹1 crore: Emerging international players and promising domestic performers
• ₹75 lakh: Experienced domestic players and uncapped international players
• ₹50 lakh: Domestic T20 specialists and young uncapped players
• ₹30 lakh: Base level for most uncapped and emerging players
• ₹20 lakh: Minimum base price for most players

A player’s base price does not indicate their expected final sale price — it simply sets the starting point for bidding. Some players entered at ₹20 lakh base prices have sold for ₹15 crore or more when multiple franchises aggressively competed for their services.

IPL 2026 Auction: Most Expensive Buys

The most expensive buys at the IPL 2026 auction will be the talking points of the cricketing world for weeks. Based on the players available in the auction pool and the financial positions of each franchise, several players are expected to command extraordinary prices:

Category A: Indian Stars Released from Previous Teams

When a proven Indian international is released by their previous franchise and enters the auction pool, they almost always become the most competed-over players of the entire event. Franchises understand that quality Indian talent at the top of their game is extremely scarce, and the combination of IPL experience, Indian pitch knowledge, and international-level performance makes these players invaluable. In IPL 2026, any Indian opener, specialist spinner, or pace bowler with a strong recent international track record who enters the auction pool without a pre-auction retention deal can expect to see their price reach ₹15-20 crore or beyond.

Category B: World-Class Overseas All-rounders

Overseas all-rounders who can make a genuine contribution in both batting and bowling — and who have proven their ability to perform in Indian conditions — are the second most expensive category at IPL auctions. The value proposition of fitting effectively into two roles simultaneously means that a world-class overseas all-rounder is worth more than the sum of their individual batting or bowling parts. Players in this category regularly command ₹10-18 crore in competitive bidding.

Category C: Death Bowling Specialists

The scarcest and most valuable bowling commodity in T20 cricket is the ability to bowl consistently accurate yorkers at the death while also taking wickets. Bowlers who have demonstrated this skill over multiple IPL seasons are incredibly valuable — there are genuinely only ten to twelve bowlers in the entire world who can be described as elite T20 death specialists, and IPL franchises compete intensely for their services.

Team-by-Team Auction Strategy Analysis

Mumbai Indians — Auction Strategy

MI’s auction approach for IPL 2026 focused primarily on pace bowling reinforcement. With Bumrah retained, MI needed reliable secondary pace options capable of bowling in the powerplay and the death without conceding excessively. Their secondary batting need was a high-quality Indian middle-order batsman capable of playing the role of anchor-accelerator in the 10-16 over phase. MI’s history of identifying undervalued players through sophisticated data analysis means they often find gems at prices well below market value.

Chennai Super Kings — Auction Strategy

CSK entered the auction with one of their larger available purses in several seasons, having released several aging players before the retention deadline. Their priorities were clear: a quality overseas opener to partner Ruturaj Gaikwad, a pace bowling all-rounder for the middle overs, and depth in their spin bowling options beyond Jadeja and Theekshana. CSK’s auction team, led by the strategic brilliance of Stephen Fleming and the franchise’s experienced management, is always one of the most disciplined at auction — they rarely overpay and consistently find value.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru — Auction Strategy

Having won the title, RCB’s auction priority was maintaining their winning combination while addressing the specific gaps that came close to costing them in the business end of the previous season. Bowling depth was their primary concern — their title-winning campaign required extraordinary individual performances from Siraj and Ferguson, and adding a quality third pace option was essential. They also sought to add batting depth beyond position seven to handle situations where the top order collectively fails.

Kolkata Knight Riders — Auction Strategy

KKR as defending champions focused on squad depth rather than replacing their match-winners. They retained their core players and used the auction to add reserves who could step seamlessly into the first team if injuries or form dips required changes. Their approach was conservative but smart — maintaining championship chemistry while ensuring they had quality backups for every key position.

Most Surprising Buys and Unsold Players

Every IPL auction produces moments that no one predicted — the uncapped domestic player nobody had heard of who suddenly goes for ₹10 crore after a bidding war between four franchises, or the established international who goes unsold because no team had the budget or the specific need for their particular skill set at that moment.

The most surprising buys typically involve young Indian players who have had exceptional recent domestic seasons. When a youngster has scored heavily in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the weeks leading up to the auction, word spreads through the franchise network quickly, and on auction day, multiple teams often compete aggressively for a player the general public has never heard of.

Unsold players create some of the auction’s most sobering moments. Established international stars who go unsold because no franchise has the right combination of available cap space, positional need, and confidence in the player’s suitability for Indian conditions serve as a reminder that the IPL auction is driven by cold, strategic logic rather than sentiment or reputation alone.

Right to Match (RTM) Cards: Strategic Usage in IPL 2026

The Right to Match card is one of the auction’s most powerful strategic tools, allowing franchises to match the highest bid for a player they have released and reclaim that player at the auction price. RTM cards must be used judiciously because each franchise has a limited number available, and using them at the wrong moment can leave a team without the option to reclaim a more important player who comes up for auction later.

The most exciting RTM moments occur when a franchise watches a rival bid aggressively for a player they previously released, hoping the price will become prohibitively expensive before the other franchise can secure the deal. If the rival team succeeds in pushing the price up before the releasing franchise triggers their RTM card, the releasing team can reclaim the player at an inflated price that further depletes the rival’s auction budget.

Conclusion

The IPL 2026 auction is the event that shapes the entire season. The decisions made in those few hours of competitive bidding will determine which franchises have the players to compete for the title and which will struggle to fill the gaps in their squads. Every record price paid creates a narrative that the player will spend the entire season either fulfilling or failing to live up to. Every surprising buy will be dissected by analysts for months. CrickViews will provide complete live coverage of the IPL 2026 auction with instant updates, analysis, and post-auction team assessments. Stay tuned for the most comprehensive IPL 2026 auction coverage anywhere online.