Overview:
RCB’s playing XI is well-set, but depth remains an issue. The team could seek stronger domestic batting options, consider a backup or upgrade for Suyash Sharma.
The stage is set in Abu Dhabi as the IPL 2026 auction takes place on December 16. With marquee players back in the pool and franchises reshaping their cores, the event is expected to play a defining role in squad-building for the upcoming season.
As the mini-auction approaches, we break down the priority areas each franchise must address while reshaping their roster for the next campaign.
Lucknow Super Giants
Auction purse: Rs 22.95 crore
Slots to fill: 6 (4 overseas)
Players retained: Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mohammed Shami (traded in from SRH), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar (traded in from MI), Arshin Kulkarni, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant, Shahbaz Ahmed
Areas to address: Lucknow enter the auction needing a new spin spearhead following Bishnoi’s exit. They need an overseas finisher after Miller’s release, and further investment in fast-bowling depth remains likely even with Avesh and Mayank in the ranks.
Chennai Super Kings
Auction pursel: RS 43.40 crore
Slots to fill: 9 slots, including 4 overseas
Players retained: MS Dhoni, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
Areas to address: With Jadeja no longer in the mix, Chennai face a clear void in balance. An overseas quick is another priority following Pathirana’s release, but don’t be surprised if the franchise by the Sri Lankan pacer.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Auction purse: Rs 64.30 crore
Slots to fill: 13 (6 overseas)
Players retained: Ajinkya Rahane, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy
Areas to address: KKR have many roles to fill at the auction, and they also have the money to do so. The team needs an opener to partner with Sunil Narine, if he continues at the top, along with middle-order batters, all-rounders, and finishers. KKR have released their biggest star, Andre Russell, and will need someone equally talented to fill his shoes. They will also need a wicketkeeper to replace Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Delhi Capitals
Auction purse: Rs 21.80 crore
Slots to fill: 8 (5 overseas)
Players retained: Nitish Rana (traded in from RR), Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Vipraj Nigam, Mukesh Kumar
Areas to address: Delhi Capitals are expected to bolster their pace reserves to cover potential availability issues through the season. The release of Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk has also opened up a vacancy at the top, while a utility option and an overseas presence in the middle order remain areas of interest.
Rajasthan Royals
Auction purse: Rs 16.05 crore
Slots to fill: 9 (1 overseas)
Players retained: Donovan Ferreira (traded in from DC), Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja (traded in from CSK), Sam Curran (traded in from CSK), Sandeep Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak
Areas to address: Rajasthan Royals lack spin options despite Ravindra Jadeja’s availablity, making a domestic spinner a priority. A homegrown all-rounder is also needed, alongside some reinforcements in the pace department after releasing a few Indian quicks. Limited funds and only one overseas slot could restrict their auction moves.
Gujarat Titans
Auction purse: Rs 12.90 crore
Slots to fill: 5 (4 overseas)
Players retained: Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Jos Buttler, R Sai Kishore, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Kumar Kushagra, Nishant Sindhu, Prasidh Krishna,Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar
Key concerns : Gujarat Titans look settled at the top with Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, and Sai Kishore locked in, but the lack of late-order impact remains an issue. With Gerald Coetzee and Karim Janat released, overseas bowling depth could be explored, though limited funds suggest only minor adjustments.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Auction purse: Rs 16.4 crore
Slots to fill: 8 (2 overseas)
Players retained: Virat Kohli, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh
Areas to address: RCB’s playing XI is well-set, but depth remains an issue. The team could seek stronger domestic batting options, consider a backup or upgrade for Suyash Sharma, and an overseas pace spearhead might be targeted if Hazlewood’s fitness continues to be a concern.
Mumbai Indians
Auction purse: Rs 2.75 crore
Slots to fill: 5 (1 overseas)
Players retained: Sherfane Rutherford (traded in from GT), Mayank Markande (traded in from KKR), AM Ghazanfar, Shardul Thakur (traded in from LSG), Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma, Raj Bawa, Ryan Rickelton, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks
Areas to address: The Mumbai setup looks settled. An additional foreign opener behind Rickelton is the lone consideration, while tight funds suggest the auction strategy will revolve around lesser-known Indian prospects.
Punjab Kings
Auction purse: Rs 11.5 crore
Slots to fill: 4 (2 overseas)
Players retained: Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar,Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal
Areas to address: Replicating Inglis’ impact at No.3 is the primary objective for the 2025 finalists. Beyond that, the team may look to plug spin options, seeking an off-break bowler in Maxwell’s absence and while Chahal requires support in the leg-spin department.
SunRisers Hyderabad
Auction purse: Rs 25.5 crore
Slots to fill: 10 (2 overseas)
Players retained: Abhishek Sharma, Pat Cummins, R Smaran, Travis Head, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Zeeshan Ansari
Areas to address: SRH’s core batting is solid up front, but a destructive middle-lower order batter is missing. The pace attack also needs reinforcement following Shami’s exit, and the team must look to add depth in both departments to cover for injuries and rotation.