IPL 2026 Auction Date: The player auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is likely to take place outside India yet again, with Abu Dhabi being the preferred venue this time.
As per a report by IANS, the mini-auction will be scheduled for December 16. Notably, the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia hosted the action last year in 2024. Before Jeddah, the auction in 2023 took place in Dubai.
Interestingly, all the franchises will look to fill the gaps ahead of the upcoming IPL season starting in March.
There were serious conversations around the possibility of conducting the auction in India, with Mumbai and Bengaluru initially being considered as potential cities. However, the report suggested that the ease of Abu Dhabi for overseas support staff-especially those involved in broadcasting or coaching during the Ashes-has strengthened the trend of hosting IPL auctions abroad for the time being.
The cutoff date for finalizing retentions for all ten IPL franchises is November 15, and sources have indicated that a significant trade between the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) might take place either before or on the retention deadline.
Long-time RR skipper and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson could move his base to CSK, while the former may acquire the services of Ravindra Jadeja in the trade deal. RR had held talks with multiple franchises over Samson’s transfer, and after negotiations for a potential trade with Delhi Capitals (DC) ended abruptly, the franchise’s trade deal with CSK could move past the finish line, barring a last-minute twist.
It is yet to be confirmed if the Samson-Jadeja trade will be a simple swap or if another player from CSK could be on his way to RR. There was also chatter over Washington Sundar being traded to CSK from the Gujarat Titans (GT), but nothing emerged due to the Ahmedabad-based franchise apparently giving the all-rounder an assurance of consistent game time in IPL 2026.