IPL mini-auction complete guide: Where to watch, FAQs and top players

The Indian Premier League auction is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 15 December. In case you have missed the build-up, don't worry, we have you covered. Check out our article to know which team has the most purse, who will be the top picks, and where can you watch the event live.

In Short

• The IPL auction is taking place in Abu Dhabi
• A maximum of 77 slots can be filled in this auction
• Cameron Green is widely expected to be the highest earner

The long wait for the Indian Premier League auction has finally come to an end. The franchises have finalised their targets, the players are dealing with the inevitable butterflies in their stomachs, and the fans are eagerly waiting to see whether their favourite stars will fetch the biggest bids of the year.

It is expected to be a glitzy event in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening, with a total of 369 players set to go under the hammer. A maximum of 77 players can be sold, that too, only if all franchises manage to fill their full quota of 25 players. The constant permutations and combinations that arise due to the fast-paced nature of the auction keep teams, analysts and fans on their toes throughout the day. To be frank, there is very little on television that matches the drama and unpredictability of an IPL auction day.

Everyone involved in the league understands that the foundation of a strong IPL side is built at the auction table. The focus will be on Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, who enter the auction with significant buying power and clear intent. CSK have Rs 43 crore in the bank as they look to rebuild key parts of their squad, while KKR possess a massive purse of Rs 64 crore. After disappointing campaigns last season, both franchises will be keen to snap up their preferred targets at the Etihad Arena on Tuesday.

It would not be a surprise if KKR end up buying the most expensive player of the auction. The bigger question is how aggressively CSK will push them in that bidding war. If CSK decide to stretch KKR deep, it could open up opportunities for other franchises to conduct smart business across the rest of the auction, creating a fascinating and unpredictable contest that could shift momentum multiple times during the day.

Several big names are expected to travel to Abu Dhabi for the auction. It has been reported that Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori, who is also the Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach, requested leave to attend the auction despite the ongoing Ashes series. It is still unclear whether that leave has been granted. Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting is expected to miss the auction, with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer likely to represent the franchise in his absence as he continues his recovery from injury.

Much of the spotlight will be on Cameron Green, Ravi Bishnoi and Liam Livingstone, with multiple teams looking to fill similar roles in their squads. Green, who features in the first set as a batter, is expected to attract bids north of Rs 20 crore. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball, combined with his age and upside, makes him one of the most coveted players in the auction pool.

This auction could also serve as a redemption platform for players like Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, both of whom have produced blistering performances in domestic cricket in recent times and will be eager to re-establish their value at the IPL level.

There will also be special attention on uncapped Indian talents, particularly players like Aqib Nabi, who have gone viral for their impressive bowling performances on the domestic circuit.

So, without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi. This article includes the full retention lists, the remaining purses of each franchise, and all key details related to the auction.

What is the timing of the auction?

The broadcast will begin at 2 pm IST, with the auction itself expected to start at 2:30 pm IST.

Why is the auction being held in the UAE?

The IPL 2026 auction will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Last year, the auction was held in Saudi Arabia, while Dubai has also hosted IPL auctions in the past. The league has increasingly explored overseas venues to add to the global appeal of the event.

How many players will be sold at the auction?

A total of 369 players will be auctioned on Tuesday, December 16. A maximum of 77 players can be bought, provided all franchises fill their 25-player squad limit.

Who are the top stars in the auction?

The standout name this season is Cameron Green. His ability to bat and bowl at a high level makes him an extremely valuable asset, and his decision to register as a batter has ensured that his name appears early in the auction. That positioning often leads to inflated bids and intense competition.

Apart from Green, Ravi Bishnoi is expected to be in heavy demand, while players like Venkatesh Iyer and Liam Livingstone are also likely to attract significant bids given their versatility and proven IPL experience.

IPL Auction: Retentions of All Teams

KKR
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

CSK
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Sanju Samson (Traded in), Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Nathan Ellis, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Noor Ahmed, Shreyas Gopal.

GT
Shubman Gill (captain), Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips.

RCB
Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thushara, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Dar.

DC
Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana (traded in).

PBKS
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Shashnk Singh, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Amatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Barlett, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar.

MI
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, AM Ghazanfar.

LSG
Rishabh Pant (captain), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh.

RR
Dhruv Jurel (wk), Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Singh, Ravindra Jadeja (Traded in), Sam Curran (Traded In), Donnovan Ferreira (Traded in).

SRH
Pat Cummins (captain), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari.

IPL Auction: Remaining Purse for All Teams

KKR: Rs 64.30 crore

Slots Remaining: 13 (6 overseas)

CSK: Rs 43.40 crore

Slots Remaining: 9 (4 overseas)

GT: Rs 12.9 crore

Slots Remaining: 5 (4 overseas)

RCB: Rs 16.40 crore

Slots Remaining: 8 (2 overseas)

DC: Rs 21.8 crore

Slots Remaining: 8 (5 overseas)

PBKS: Rs 11.50 crore

Slots Remaining: 4 (2 overseas)

MI: Rs 2.75 core

Slots Remaining: 5 (1 overseas)

LSG: Rs 22.95 crore

Slots Remaining: 6 (4 overseas)

RR: Rs 16.05 crore

Slots Remaining: 9 (1 overseas)

SRH: Rs 25.50 crore

Slots Remaining: 10 (2 overseas)

IPL Auction: Which Players Will Each Team Target?

• KKR: Cameron Green, Jamie Smith, Matheesha Pathirana, Prithvi Shaw, Matt Henry
• CSK: Cameron Green, David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Venkatesh Iyer
• GT: Liam Livingstone, Vignesh Puthur, David Miller
• RCB: Matt Henry, Shivam Mavi, Ravi Bishnoi, Alzarri Joseph
• DC: Ben Duckett, David Miller, Matheesha Pathirana, Matthew Forde
• PBKS: Michael Bracewell, Akash Madhwal, Jordan Cox
• MI: Akash Madhwal, KM Asif
• LSG: Wanindu Hasaranga, Adam Zampa, Gerald Coetzee, Sarfaraz Khan
• RR: Venkatesh Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Rishad Hossain
• SRH: Ravi Bisnoi, David Miller, Michael Bracewell, Shivam Mavi, Aqib Nabi, KM Asif

IPL Auction: How many RTMs do teams have?

This is a trick question. Teams cannot use RTMs (Right to Match) to buy back players in the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

When and where to watch the IPL 2026 Auction?

As stated before, the auction begins at 2:30 pm IST. The event will be live telecasted on Star Sports Network, and the livestream will be available on JioHotstar.

- Ends