IPL 2026 mini-auction: Big money, bold calls and surprise steals defined the Abu Dhabi show, where all 10 teams finalised their squads after a series of fierce bidding wars on December 16. While some franchises splurged on marquee names, uncapped Indian players were also among the biggest winners as teams looked to strengthen their core. Here's how all 10 squads shaped up after an intense eight-hour auction marathon.

A total of 77 players were handed fresh Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts on Tuesday, with the 10 franchises spending a combined Rs 215.15 crore at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi. In essence, it was an afternoon dominated by Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, who arrived with purses of Rs 64.30 crore and Rs 43.40 crore respectively and ended up shaking the room. Five of the six biggest buys of the auction came from their tables, reflecting a bold mix of overseas names yet to prove long-term consistency and uncapped Indian players seen as high-risk, high-reward bets.

Kolkata Knight Riders splurged a record Rs 25.20 crore to secure Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and followed it up with Rs 18 crore for Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. Chennai Super Kings, meanwhile, took a route rarely associated with the franchise. After finishing rock bottom last season and starting their rebuild early, they made history at the IPL 2026 auction by snapping up uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore each, making them the joint most expensive uncapped players in IPL history. The twin signings underlined a clear shift in approach, aimed at replacing lost skills while investing in a long-term Indian core.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/ipl-2026-auction-full-squads-report-card-rating-predicted-line-up-2836998-2025-12-17