The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council on Tuesday added nine more players in the final list of names to go under the hammer on December 16 during the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.
That means, a total of 359 players will be up in the auction for the 77 vacant slots.
Among the names are former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Swastik Chikhara, Tripura all-rounder Manisankar Murasingh, Chama Milind of Hyderabad, Chris Green of Australia, among the notable ones.
But one name that caught the attention was of Malaysian all-rounder Virandeep Singh. In fact, Virandeep is the only player from an Associate nation in the IPL 2026 auction.
Meet Virandeep Singh – All you need to know
As the name suggests, Virandeep can be mistaken to be an Indian cricketer. Born in 1999, Virandeep might represent the Malaysia national team but certainly has Indian roots. However, it is yet to be known when his family migrated to Malaysia.
Virandeep, who bats right handed and bowls slow left-arm orthodox, is one of the important figures in Malaysian cricket. Having made his T20I debut in 2019, Virandeep is the all-time highest run-getter for his country in the T20Is with 3115 runs in 108 games. In fact, he is the first and only player to have crossed the 3000-run mark for Malaysia in T20Is.
He made his debut in 2019 against Thailand but was dismissed for a duck. However, thereafter things turned good for Virandeep as he became one of the pillars in the sport in the country. His only T20I hundred against Indonesia in 2023, an unbeaten knock of 116.
With the ball, Virandeep also took 108 wickets, with a best of 4/5 against Mongolia in 2024. In fact Virandeep holds the record of most Player of the Match awards in T20Is, ahead of India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli.
Virandeep Singh’s record in franchise cricket
Besides, Malaysian cricket, Virandeep was also a part of Sharjah Warriors in ILT20 (in 2025) and Surrey Jaguars in Global T20 Canada (2025). However, he is yet to play a game for either sides. He has played for Chitwan Tigers in Everest Premier League in Nepal.
If Virandeep is roped in by any of the franchises in IPL 2026, it will be a huge moment not just for the player, but for the betterment of hi country’s cricket as well. His journey not only will inspire many in the country, but will drive the growth of Malaysian cricket as well.