Nobody’s going to talk about Cameron Green’s giant Rs 25.2 crore price tag once the dust settles on the IPL 2026 mini-auction. What’ll stick in everyone’s mind is how Chennai Super Kings flipped the script.
This wasn’t the old ‘Dad’s Army’ CSK. They went all in, bidding like maniacs and grabbing two uncapped Indian players-Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma-for an eye-popping Rs 14.2 crore each.
So, CSK dropped Rs 28.4 crore on two young guys. If that doesn’t scream ‘we’re done with the old guard,’ nothing will. They’d already let go of a few big names in the trade window, so they weren’t just shopping for extras-they needed to plug real gaps, especially after losing a top Indian all-rounder.
Let’s start with Prashant Veer. The guy’s just 20, a left-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh who swings hard with the bat down the order. CSK clearly sees him as a straight-up replacement for the missing all-rounder. He tore it up in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy-tight bowling, big hits-and CSK couldn’t resist. Throwing this much cash at him isn’t just risky, it’s them gambling on the next big finisher who can also turn his arm over. Players like that change the entire balance of an IPL team.
Then you have Kartik Sharma. He’s 19, keeps wickets, bats in the middle order, and his T20 strike rate is north of 160. That’s rare. CSK outlasted everyone to sign him, clearly betting he can anchor an innings or go berserk at the end-basically, a Dhoni-in-training. For a team building its new core and thinking beyond the Sanju Samson era, these two buys aren’t just bold. They’re the blueprint.
And it wasn’t just CSK throwing money at young Indians. Every team wanted a piece of the next breakout star, especially bowlers. Suddenly, a bunch of these guys went from unknowns to crorepatis overnight.
Look at Delhi Capitals. They picked up David Miller and Ben Duckett for peanuts, but then dropped Rs 8.4 crore on Auqib Nabi Dar, a quick from Jammu & Kashmir. He bowls fast, takes wickets, and finally gives DC that aggressive Indian seamer they’ve been hunting for.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru weren’t far behind. They spent Rs 5.2 crore on Mangesh Yadav, a left-arm quick. Left-armers are pure gold in T20s, and RCB’s been dying for someone like him to add a new angle and strengthen their death bowling.
This auction felt different. Teams didn’t just chase foreign stars-they went after Indian talent with a kind of urgency you don’t see every year. Guys like Prashant Veer and Auqib Nabi aren’t just expensive backups. Teams see them as the foundation for whatever comes next. If you’re looking for the moment the IPL turned a corner, this was it.