The initial build-up to the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in full swing now.
All 10 franchises had announced their player retentions, late on November 15, 2025, and now, the IPL 2026 auction date and venue have also been officially confirmed.
Note that this will be a Mini Auction, and that most teams have retained a good chunk of their existing squads. That said, there are still some really good players up for grabs.
IPL 2026 Auction Date and Venue
The IPL 2026 Mini Auction will be conducted on December 16, 2025.
The event will be held in Abu Dhabi, at the Etihad Arena. This is the third consecutive time that the auction is being held outside of India.
The 2024 and 2025 editions were held in Dubai and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), respectively.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the highest remaining purse out of all franchises, as well as the most available player slots.
IPL 2026 Auction: Remaining Purse and Slots
- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – 64.3 Crore, 13 slots
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – 43.4 Crore, 9 slots
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – 25.5 Crore, 10 slots
- Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – 22.9 Crore, 6 slots
- Delhi Capitals (DC) – 21.8 Crore, 8 slots
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)- 16.4 Crore, 8 slots
- Rajasthan Royals (RR) – 16.05 Crore, 9 slots
- Gujarat Titans (GT)- 12.9 Crore, 5 slots
- Punjab Kings (PBKS)- 11.5 Crore, 4 slots
- Mumbai Indias (MI)- 2.75 Crore, 5 slots
The spotlight in the Mini Auction will also be on RCB, the defending champions, as to how they go about reshaping their side for their first ever title defense next year.
They carry a relative low purse to the event, but have quite a few slots left to fill.