The auction for the upcoming IPL 2026 season will be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 16. A total of 77 slots will be up for grabs as the 10 franchises look to complete their squads in pursuit of the title.
The IPL 2026 auction will be a mini-auction, with teams not subject to any restrictions on the number of players they can retain ahead of the event. A mega auction, in which franchises are required to release the bulk of their squads back into the auction pool, typically takes place every three to four years. The most recent mega auction was held ahead of the 2025 season.
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The limited number of available slots at mini-auctions often pushes prices higher, as teams focus on plugging specific gaps rather than rebuilding squads from scratch.
The last two mini-auctions illustrated this trend clearly. Sam Curran was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs. 18.50 crore in 2023, setting a new auction record at the time. That mark was eclipsed in the next edition, when Mitchell Starc was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs. 24.75 crore, although the overall record is now held by Rishabh Pant. Notably, Starc’s sale came barely an hour after fellow Australian Pat Cummins had briefly become the most expensive player in IPL history, joining Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 20.50 crore.
Published on Dec 13, 2025
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