IPL 2026 Auction to Feature 240 Indian and 110 Overseas Players in Abu Dhabi

The final list of players for the 2026 Indian Premier League auction has been confirmed, with a total of 350 cricketers being placed under the hammer for the 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 franchise league. Of these, 240 Indian players and 110 overseas players have been shortlisted to compete for 77 available slots across ten teams. The auction has been scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025, marking a rare overseas hosting of the event.

A late addition to the final list was South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who entered the auction after returning from his ODI retirement. His base price has been fixed at ₹1 crore. Australian batter Steve Smith, who last appeared in the IPL in 2021, has been listed at a base price of ₹2 crore. Several other high-profile names have also been placed in the ₹2 crore bracket, including Australia’s Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk, New Zealand’s former Chennai Super Kings opener Devon Conway, South Africa’s David Miller, and India’s Venkatesh Iyer, who was released earlier by Kolkata Knight Riders.

The registration process for the auction witnessed a total enrolment of 1390 players. This list was reduced to 1005 after initial scrutiny, before being further trimmed to the final shortlist of 350 players shared with the franchises. Among the early sets of players to be presented in the auction room will be India and Mumbai batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, both of whom have kept a base price of ₹75 lakh.

Significant variations in purse strength are expected to influence team strategies. Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will enter the auction with the largest remaining purse of ₹64.3 crore. Five-time winners Chennai Super Kings will have ₹43.4 crore available, while Sunrisers Hyderabad, champions in 2016, will have ₹25.5 crore to complete their squad.

In parallel with auction preparations, discussions surrounding participation policies in global T20 leagues have continued, as contrasting approaches between India and other cricketing nations remain evident. Active Indian players are not being allowed to take part in foreign franchise leagues due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s policy of withholding No-Objection Certificates (NOCs). The rule has been maintained to preserve the exclusivity and commercial value of the IPL, support year-round national commitments, and manage player workload. Only retired Indian players who have stepped away from international and domestic cricket, including the IPL have been permitted to participate in overseas leagues such as those in Canada, the UAE or the United States.

In contrast, players from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the West Indies and Afghanistan are regularly being allowed by their respective boards to appear in multiple global T20 leagues, as their boards consider such participation beneficial for financial growth and player development. This difference has created a unique situation in global cricket in which foreign players are available for the IPL and other tournaments worldwide, while Indian players remain exclusive to domestic cricket and the IPL.

The 2026 IPL auction is therefore expected to be shaped not only by player performances and team needs but also by the distinctive global participation dynamics that continue to define modern franchise cricket.