IPL 2026 Auction: Sarfaraz and Prithvi Shaw sold in the last round, know which team bet on which player

New Delhi: A total of 77 players were included in the new teams in the IPL 2026 auction held on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. 10 franchises together spent Rs 215.15 crore. Most talked about were Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, who made big changes with budgets of Rs 64.30 crore and Rs 43.40 crore respectively. The auction saw a mix of foreign and Indian uncapped players, whose purchases were based on the teams’ long-term strategy and risk-benefit analysis.

Dominance of Kolkata and Chennai

KKR bought Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for a record Rs 25.20 crore and spent Rs 18 crore for Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana. At the same time, CSK created a new history by buying uncapped pair Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore per player. This move strengthened the Indian core of the team and replenished the lost strategic depth.

Ups and downs in the auction of Indian stars

Domestic stars like Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan remained unsold in the initial round, but were later acquired by Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings for Rs 75 lakh respectively in a quick auction.

Delhi Capitals strategy

DC signed opening batsman Pathum Nissanka and Indian backup Prithvi Shaw in the auction. David Miller was included as an economical option in the middle order, while Auqib Nabi Dar emerged as a powerplay and all-round option. In bowling, Mathisha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman were dropped, but Lungi Ngidi and Kyle Jamieson were added at base price.

Balanced auction of Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB focused on fast bowling. Bought Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav and brought Venkatesh Iyer back into the team for Rs 7 crore. Indian batting became stronger, while spin backup remained in need of improvement.

Big upset of Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR maintained a balance between foreign and Indian players. The team’s strength increased with the purchase of Cameron Green, Mathisha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman. A balanced unit was created by including captain Ajinkya Rahane and foreign batsman Rovman Powell in the team.

Bold move by Chennai Super Kings

CSK invested heavily on the uncapped pair. Maintained the balance of the team by including Rahul Chahar, Sarfaraz Khan, Adam Milne and Jack Foulkes. The objective of the strategy was to strengthen the Indian core and maintain the mix of experience.

Status of Punjab, Rajasthan and other teams

PBKS kept the budget under control and focused on increasing the depth of the team. Rajasthan Royals focused on Indian players and strengthened the spin option. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans made restrained purchases, while Mumbai Indians placed emphasis on backup players in limited bids. Lucknow Supergiants also had a balanced auction, where Josh Inglis was the main buy.