As the IPL 2026 auction gathers pace and is set to take place in the second half of Tuesday (Dec 16), it was the mock auction that made headlines.
On Monday (Dec 16), on the eve of the mini-auction, the experts engaged in a mock drill simulation, analysing team strategies for the December 16 event. Cameron Green emerged as the most expensive buy at INR 30.5 crore, picked by Kolkata Knight Riders, while Chennai Super Kings focused on form, balance, and long-term squad depth.
A total of 1390 players had registered for the auction, from which 369 would be up for grabs. 40 players are part of the maximum INR 2 crore base price. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) enters the auction with the biggest purse of INR 64.30 crore and has the highest vacancy of 13 slots, while Sunrisers Hyderabad are second with 10.
“I knew CSK would also go after a middle-order all-rounder. I thought they would go somewhere around 25-28 crore. Realistically, I think they would go up to around ₹20 crore in the actual auction, because they would want to keep space for other Indian and overseas players as well. But in the mock auctions, I was ready to go up to 35 crore for a player like Green. I think Cameron Green should bat at No. 3 in the order,” former KKR star Robin Uthappa commented while speaking on JioHotstar.
“It’s all about planning and keeping things simple. We needed a good death bowler. With the kind of coaching staff KKR have, Pathirana can be very effective at the death. He has been a little off colour recently and has gone back into the auction pool, which I think will make him more motivated to perform. A change of franchise can also help. With Pathirana, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora, if you’re asking who bats in the first XI, it would be Vaibhav Arora. Also, Varun has been working on his batting; he’s not too far away from clearing the ropes either,” Uthappa commented on Matheesha Pathirana joining KKR for 13 crore.
Here’s a look at the remaining purse for all 10 IPL teams
- Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 64.3 crore (13 spots to fill)
- Chennai Super Kings – Rs 43.4 crore (9)
- Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 25.5 crore (10)
- Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 22.95 crore (6)
- Delhi Capitals – Rs 21.8 crore (8)
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 16.4 crore (8)
- Rajasthan Royals – Rs 16.05 crore (9)
- Gujarat Titans – Rs 12.9 crore (5)
- Punjab Kings – Rs 11.5 crore (4)
- Mumbai Indians – Rs 2.75 crore (5)