Abu Dhabi Set for IPL 2026 Auction

With the IPL 2026 mini-auction scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16, the initial list of players registered for the event was released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on December 1. A total of 1355 players were confirmed to have been registered, including 1062 Indian players and 293 overseas cricketers. Among the Indian names, 928 uncapped domestic players were included, reflecting a limited pool of capped talent available for the auction.

The absence of several notable players was widely noticed. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who represented Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, was not registered for the 2026 auction. West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell was also missing from the list following his retirement from the league. The exclusions were seen as the major surprises of the initial registration release.

BCCI officials confirmed that the list published on December 1 was not final. Franchises were given until December 3 to submit any additional names they wished to see added to the registration pool. A second deadline of December 5 was set for teams to confirm the names they wanted included in the final auction list. Therefore, changes to the list have been considered certain before the auction process begins, and trimming of the final roster is expected, as has been the norm in previous years.

The auction will see the participation of all ten IPL franchises, the same lineup involved in the previous season. The teams confirmed to be part of the 2026 mini-auction are Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans.

This year’s mini-auction will also feature a new rule for overseas players with regard to the salary cap. Regardless of how high an overseas cricketer’s auction bid may go, their salary cap value will be fixed at ₹21 crore. This amount matches the highest Indian retention valuation of Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In comparison, Rishabh Pant remains the highest-valued Indian player acquired through the auction process, listed at ₹27 crore.

The updated list of auction entrants is expected to be released after the December 5 deadline. The final pool of players will then be prepared for the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16.