Who is Karthik Sharma, whom are three teams competing to buy? CSK included in their team for 14.20 crores

IPL Auction 2026: In the mini auction of IPL 2026, there was a lot of bidding on Rajasthan’s 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik Sharma. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought him for Rs 14.20 crore. His base price was only Rs 30 lakh, which means he got 4633 percent more than the base price.

With this price, Karthik became the joint most expensive uncapped player in IPL history. Earlier this record was of 10 crores. Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad also bid for him in the auction, but CSK won.

Who is Kartik Sharma?

Karthik Sharma is a young cricketer from Rajasthan, who is a right-handed aggressive batsman and wicketkeeper. He is famous for playing big shots in the lower order and can play the role of finisher well. His power hitting has attracted everyone’s attention in domestic cricket. His performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was excellent, where he scored runs at a high strike rate.

Yet another young one enters the den!
Whistle welcome, Kartik Sharma!🥳#WhistlePodu #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/1haBu8esPZ

—Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 16, 2025

Explosive performance in T20 cricket

Karthik has played 12 T20 matches so far, in which he has scored 334 runs at an average of 30.36 and strike rate of 162.92. 28 sixes and 16 fours came from his bat. Teams liked his ability to score fast runs in the death overs. While playing for Rajasthan, he has got the team out of trouble in many matches.

Perfect choice for CSK

CSK is betting big on young players. Karthik’s aggressive batting and wicket-keeping skills will strengthen the team in the middle and lower order. Getting such a huge amount at the age of just 19 testifies to his future. Fans hope that Karthik will make CSK win many matches by debuting in IPL.