IPL 2026 Auction: Date, Time, Slots, Purse, Big Buys, and Rules – Everything You Need to Know

The IPL Auction is back in the form of a mini-auction, with all 10 franchises, including the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans, vying for the targeted players to be signed ahead of the IPL 2026.

Since the majority of the teams have retained their chunk of core players during retentions and releases in November this year, the mini-auction will serve as a platform to fill remaining gaps with strategic signings and value–for-money picks rather than a complete squad overhaul. The upcoming auction in Abu Dhabi is expected to witness intense bidding for a handful of impact players.

Let’s take a look at the key details that you need to know about the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

The much-anticipated IPL mini-auction will take place on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. The event will start at 2:30 PM IST. For the third time on the trot, the auction will take place outside India, with the previous two auctions being held in Dubai and Jeddah in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The mini-auction will be live telecast on Star Sports Network and will also be live-streamed on JioHotstar, allowing fans to follow all the action in real time.

A total of 1390 players were registered for the IPL 2026 Auction, out of which 350 players were shortlisted for the event. These shortlisted players will go under the hammer for 77 available slots that franchises will fill to complete their squads, including 31 slots reserved for overseas players, as the teams look to address specific areas ahead of the upcoming IPL season.

A total of INR 237.55 crore purse is available for the franchises to fill 77 slots at the IPL 2026 auction. Kolkata Knight Riders will head into the Abu Dhabi auction with the highest purse of INR 64.30 crore, followed by the Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, who have a purse of INR 43.4 crore and 22.95 crore, respectively.

Delhi Capitals (INR 21.8 crore), Rajasthan Royals (16.50 crore), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (16.40 crore), Sunrisers Hyderabad (INR 25.50 crore), Gujarat Titans (12.90 crore, and Punjab Kings (INR 11.50 crore) have varied spending power heading into the auction. Mumbai Indians have the tightest purse of INR 2.75 crore, limiting their spending options and forcing them to focus on strategic, value-for-money picks in the upcoming auction.

With 350 players shortlisted at the auction, certain players having a base price of INR 2 crore and 1 crore are expected to attract intense bidding wars from multiple franchises. The likes of Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, and Quinton de Kock are likely to attract bids from the franchises.

Apart from bidding for players, the franchises have to follow certain rules that comply with the IPL governing council’s auction regulations. Each and every franchise should have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players in the squad. The franchises cannot have more than eight overseas players in their squad. Moreover, the Right to Match (RTM) is not available for the mini-auction, and thus, franchises have to rely on smart bidding to fill gaps within budget and squad limits.

Following the conclusion of the mini-auction, the franchises will finalise their squads, player registrations, and begin preparations for the IPL 2026 season, including training camps, strategy sessions, and pre-season matches ahead of the tournament kick-off.