IPL 2026 Auction Process Explained – All You Need To Know

The player auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 16. The one-day event at the Etihad Arena kicks off at 2:30 pm IST (1:00 pm local time). This auction will mark the culmination of a months-long process, with franchises working to plug the holes in their squads.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has once again chosen to host the IPL auction overseas, a trend that began with the 2024 mini auction at Dubai's Coca Cola Arena, followed by last year's two-day Abadi Al-Johar Arena mega event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The IPL auctions, whether mini or mega, are now considered industry events that attract global eyeballs. The BCCI, of course, is maximising the league's worldwide exposure by choosing international venues.

So, what is the difference between mini and mega auctions?

The basic difference between the IPL's mini and mega auctions, as the names suggest, lies in their scale and objective. The mini auction, an annual event with a restricted budget, is designed for teams to fine-tune their existing squads by filling specific vacancies.

Only players who have been released by their previous teams or new players entering the league for the first time are available in the mini auction. This year's mini auction has 77 available slots in total, 31 of which are for international players.

Conversely, the mega auction, held every three/four years, presents franchises with an opportunity to rebuild their teams. In the 2025 mega auction, franchises splurged INR 639.15 crore on 182 players.

Notably, Rishabh Pant secured a record-breaking INR 27 crore deal with the Lucknow Super Giants. In comparison, the 2024 auction saw the 10 teams spend a combined total of INR 230.45 crore.

Here's a look at the IPL auction process, step by step:

IPL Player Retention/Release

Franchises must first decide which players to keep or let go, then submit a final list of retained/released players before the deadline. November 15 was the deadline day for the IPL 2026 auction. The salaries of retained players are then deducted from each team's overall salary cap [read: purse].

Immediately following the 2025 final in Ahmedabad, where Shashank Singh hit a last-ball six off Josh Hazlewood, all 10 franchises began the process of reshaping their squads.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who secured their first IPL title with a six-run victory over the Punjab Kings, chose to retain their core players, including Virat Kohli, captain Rajat Patidar, Tim David, and Hazlewood. However, RCB also released high-profile players like Liam Livingstone and Mayank Agarwal – a tactic adopted by other teams.

Other star players who were released ahead of the 19th edition include Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, etc. Windies all-rounder Russell has since retired from the league, while Aussie Maxwell opted out of the auction.

IPL Player Trade

During the trade window, teams are allowed to swap players or conduct all-cash transactions. Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, a total of 10 players were traded.

This included significant trades between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR): wicketkeeper Sanju Samson moved to the five-time champion CSK, while all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were transferred to the inaugural champions, RR.

Other prominent trades included Mohammed Shami (moving from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants), Shardul Thakur (Lucknow Super Giants to Mumbai Indians), and Sherfane Rutherford (Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians).

IPL Player Registration And Shortlist

Players who were not retained by their respective IPL teams, along with new entrants to the league, are eligible to register for the auction. Also, each player determines their own base price – the minimum value at which franchises can begin bidding. The highest possible reserve price remains INR 2 crore.

For the record, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are the only Indians among the 40 players in this top bracket. Cameron Green, the Aussie all-rounder, is expected to trigger a bidding war, while the likes of Livingstone, Iyer, Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga are among the pre-auction favourites to seal big deals.

Originally, 1355 players registered for the IPL 2026 mini auction. Following consultation with the franchises, the BCCI trimmed the list down to 350 (240 Indian and 110 overseas players), including late entrants, such as South African cricketer Quinton de Kock. The numbers in the final pool may be changed.

What Happens On The Auction Day?

During the auction, to be conducted by an independent auctioneer, teams bid for players by raising their paddles. Bidding increases in fixed increments, and the player is sold to the highest bidder when no other team remain in contention.

Players are, of course, grouped by their role – batter, bowler, all-rounder, and wicketkeeper – as well as by their base price.

An accelerated bidding will also be used for players who go unsold during the initial rounds. In this phase, only players whose names are requested by the franchises are called out. Even if a player remains unsold after the accelerated round, he will be in the pool for possible future injury replacement.

All franchises are required to meet already-specified criteria, including spending a minimum of 75% of their total available salary purse. Each team must have a squad size between 18 and 25 players, with a maximum limit of eight overseas players.

There will be no Right to Match (RTM) card available in this auction, however. The RTM allows a team to buy back their former player by matching the highest bid.

When is IPL 2026?

The Indian Premier League 2026 is expected to run from mid-March to May-end next year. The competing teams are: Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

IPL 2026 Auction: Live Streaming Details

The IPL 2026 auction will be live-streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India, and television broadcasts will take place on the Sony Sports Network channels.