IPL 2026 auction to feature 350 players including 240 Indians

The IPL 2026 auction will feature 350 players, including 240 Indians, competing for 77 slots across 10 teams. Quinton de Kock is a late addition, while Steve Smith returns to the list. KKR holds the biggest purse at Rs 64.3 crore

Mumbai: A total of 350 cricketers, including 240 Indians, will go under the hammer in the IPL auction to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16, with South Africa’s comeback man Quinton de Kock a surprise late addition to the final list.

Wicketkeeper-batter de Kock, who recently came out of ODI retirement, has been kept at a base price of Rs 1 crore. The list also includes Australia batter Steve Smith at a base price of Rs 2 crore. Smith last played in the IPL in 2021.

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A total of 1,390 players registered for the auction. The number was pruned to 1,005 before 350 were finally shortlisted to battle for 77 slots, including 31 for overseas players, across the 10 teams for the 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league.

The first set of players in the auction includes India and Mumbai batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, who both have kept their base price at Rs 75 lakh each. Shaw had a regular run in the IPL from 2018 to 2024 but went unsold in the last auction, while Sarfaraz has not played in the competition since 2021.

The list shared by the IPL features Australians Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk, New Zealand opener Devon Conway, and South Africa’s David Miller, each with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Venkatesh Iyer, released by Kolkata Knight Riders, has also listed himself at Rs 2 crore. Among domestic players, Kunal Chandela and Ashok Kumar, leading performers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, are also in the final list.

Three-time winners KKR will go into the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 64.3 crore, followed by five-time champions CSK with Rs 43.4 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have won the IPL once, have the third-highest purse of Rs 25.5 crore.

As many as 21 England players feature in the list, including Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Liam Livingstone and Ben Duckett. Green leads the list of 19 Australians, with Josh Inglis, Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly and Beau Webster among the prominent names.

De Kock and Miller are among the 15 South African players, alongside Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and Wiaan Mulder. Fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, Shai Hope and Roston Chase are among the nine West Indians.

Sri Lankan spinners Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana and Traveen Matthew join Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera among the dozen players from the island nation. Conway and Rachin Ravindra, released by CSK, are among the 16 New Zealanders.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Naveen ul Haq feature in the list of 10 Afghan players.