The IPL 2026 auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who has registered himself as a batter, is expected to become the most expensive player in the bidding process. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have the biggest purses going into the auction. There is a possibility of Green getting the highest bid ever in the history of the league.
Rishabh Pant, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, is the most expensive player. He is followed by Shreyas Iyer, who joined the Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore. Mitchell Starc leads the list in the category of overseas players. He became a part of KKR for INR 24.75 crore in IPL 2023.
According to some reports, Green will not get more than INR 18 crore even if his bid crosses INR 25 crore. The reason is IPL’s maximum fee rule, which states that an overseas player’s fees in a mini auction will be the lower value between the highest slab (INR 18 crore) in the retention process and the highest bid in the previous mega auction (INR 27 crore for Rishabh Pant in 2025).
The 10 franchises have a combined purse of INR 237.55 crore, with the Mumbai Indians (INR 2.75 crore) hardly having any money to buy a big name. They are going to go after the uncapped players.
Apart from Green, Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and England’s performer Liam Livingstone are likely to get a handsome amount.
IPL Purse Details
| Team | Remaining Budget (Rs crore) | Slots to Fill |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 64.3 | 13 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 43.4 | 9 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 25.5 | 10 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 22.95 | 6 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 21.8 | 8 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 16.4 | 8 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 16.05 | 9 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 12.9 | 5 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 11.5 | 4 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 2.75 | 5 |