As many as 1,355 players have registered for the IPL 2026 auction, including 45 with the maximum reserve price of INR 2 crore. A total of 77 slots, including 31 overseas places, will be up for grabs in the min-auction, scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
Ahead of the event, legendary Sunil Gavaskar has demanded IPL auction ban for limited-availability players. He suggested that if a player does not show respect to the IPL by making himself available for the full tournament, he should not even be included in the auction.
“There are some players who have made themselves available for a limited period. Frankly, if a player doesn’t show respect to the IPL and make himself available for the full tournament, he shouldn’t even be in the auction,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“If something other than a national commitment is more important to him, then not one second of the auction should be wasted on him. The IPL is the best T20 league in the world, and anybody taking it lightly should not be considered at all,” he added.
Notably, Australia’s Josh Inglis, who played a key role in Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) run to IPL 2025 final, was released by the franchise due to his inability to commit to a full season because of his wedding. While the wicketkeeper-batter has thrown his hat into the auction ring once again, IPL has reportedly informed the franchises that he would be available only for 25% of the matches.
Despite his limited availability, Inglis has listed himself for the upcoming auction in the INR 2 crore price band.
Gavaskar also commented on auction trends, stating: “Look at the initial price at which all those who went on to become great players for India were bought. They were all bought at their base prices and were thus hungry to perform and earn more. Now look at all the uncapped players bought for crores and see where they are now. Maybe there’s a lesson in that somewhere.”
He further remarked, “There is still no salary limit on an uncapped player, and so many young, fairly unknown players will be bought for sums, for playing just 16 days of cricket, that are multiple times higher than what a Ranji Trophy player earns while playing twice as many days, mostly in empty stadiums. The sad part is that most, if not all, of these youngsters bought for huge sums hardly play in the tournament and are lost to the game after a season or two.”
