IPL 2026 Auction: Top five oldest players to go under the hammer on December 16

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will be held on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, with 350 players set to go under the hammer.

Even though most teams turn to young talent to fill the gaps in their squads in the evolving landscape of T20 cricket, experience has always proven to be valuable in times of crisis.

From Umesh Yadav to Karn Sharma, who have plenty of IPL experience over the years, here are the five oldest players at this year’s auction.

Jalaj Saxena (India) – 39 years & 1 day

A behemoth on the Indian domestic circuit, Jalaj has a distinguished record in First-Class cricket, with 496 wickets in 155 matches. His numbers in white-ball cricket, too, are impressive. The Indore-born all-rounder has taken 86 wickets in 79 T20 matches at a parsimonious 6.61 runs an over. However, just like an India Test cap eluded Jalaj despite his red-ball success in domestic cricket, his IPL career also never took off. Jalaj has played a solitary IPL match, for Punjab Kings in 2021, and three Champions League Twenty20 matches for Mumbai Indians in 2014-15. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the off-spinner picked nine wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.37 for Maharashtra but couldn’t make much of an impact with the bat.

Umesh Yadav (India) – 38 years & 52 days

A veteran of 148 IPL matches, Umesh went unsold at last year’s auction after playing seven matches for Gujarat Titans in 2024. He didn’t have the best of campaigns, however, as he went at 10 runs an over for his eight wickets in seven games. In the recently held Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Umesh played only three matches for Vidarbha, picking three wickets at 9.72 runs an over. With limited gametime under his belt, Umesh, who has played for four different franchises over 14 seasons, may find it hard to secure a berth in one of the squads this time.

Richard Gleeson (England) – 38 years & 14 days

A late-bloomer, the righ-arm fast-medium bowler made his international debut at the age of 34, and immediately made headlines by dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant within eight deliveries. However, he could play all of six T20Is for England in his international career. Gleeson, who went unsold at the last two auctions, has played three IPL matches. In 2024, he played for Chennai Super Kings, which signed him as a replacement for the injured Devon Conway. This year, he featured in a solitary game for Mumbai Indians, which onboarded him after Ryan Rickelton had to depart for national duty.

This year, Gleeson featured in a solitary game for Mumbai Indians.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy

Karn Sharma (India) – 38 years & 54 days

The crafty leg-spinner has been around in the IPL since 2009, picking 83 wickets in 90 matches while playing for four different teams (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings). He plied his trade for Mumbai Indians last season, and took seven wickets in six games, including a match-winning performance (3/36 in four overs) against Delhi Capitals. With Indian wrist-spinners in short supply at the auction, Karn might still find takers despite age not being on his side.

Karn plied his trade for Mumbai Indians last season, and took seven wickets in six games.
| Photo Credit:
SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Dwaine Pretorius (South Africa) – 36 years & 262 days

The South African pace-bowling all-rounder played seven matches for Chennai Super Kings in 2022 and 2023, but hasn’t featured in the IPL since. He retired from international cricket in 2023 to focus on T20 franchise leagues across the world and has consistently featured in the SA20 and Caribbean Premier League. He is currently playing for Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20 in the UAE.

Pretorius played seven matches for Chennai Super Kings in 2022 and 2023.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR K

Published on Dec 15, 2025