The keenly awaited IPL 2026 auction is set to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025.
Overall, 369 players are listed in the auction pool, as all ten franchises battle to secure 77 open slots while aiming to finalize their squads before the league’s 19th season officially kicks off.

The mini-auction has 77 openings, with 31 reserved for overseas players. The top reserve price is set at INR 2 crore, a category featuring 40 players this year. Australia all-rounder Cameron Green (INR 25.20 crore to KKR) dominated headlines.

In the uncapped Indian players set, including the all-rounders and wicketkeepers, two names stood out. Uttar Pradesh’s Prashant Veer and Rajasthan’s Kartik Sharma became the most expensive uncapped Indian players in IPL auction history.

Chennai Super Kings broke their bank for both of these players, paying INR 14.20 crores each for Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.

20-year-old Prashant Veer hails from Amethi in UP and has played nine T20s so far, scoring 112 runs with a strike rate of 167.16. He also impressed with his left-arm spin, taking 12 wickets at an economy of 6.45. CSK needed a spin bowling all-rounder after parting ways with Ravindra Jadeja, and they went all out for Veer and invested a lot in building a new star for them going forward.

Kartik Sharma hails from Rajasthan, and CSK paid INR 14.20 crores for the wicketkeeper-batter. The 19-year-old will be the backup keeper for MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson in the CSK franchise. Kartik is known for his penchant for big hits and has scored 334 runs in 12 T20 games, with a strike rate of 162.92, and has hit 28 sixes and 16 fours in his short career thus far.

The Indian cricket fraternity reacted to CSK spending more than INR 28 crores for two youngsters, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, in the IPL 2026 auction.

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