Overview:
CSK went bold by splurging on uncapped duo Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma and reinforced balance.
At the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, 77 players were signed as franchises spent a total of Rs 215.15 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings dominated the proceedings, claiming five of the six highest-priced buys. KKR made a record Rs 25.20 crore move for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and followed it with Rs 18 crore for Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. CSK made history by acquiring uncapped talents Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore each. In the accelerated round, Prithvi Shaw joined Delhi Capitals, and Sarfaraz Khan moved to CSK for Rs 75 lakh each, rounding off a high-octane and eight-hour auction. Here is the rating of all the franchises based on their performances in the auction.
Delhi Capitals (9/10)
DC focused on smart acquisitions to strengthen weak spots. They added Pathum Nissanka and Prithvi Shaw to stabilize the top order, Lungi Ngidi and Kyle Jamieson to reinforce pace, and David Miller for middle-order firepower. Uncapped all-rounder Auqib Nabi Dar emerged as a promising option for PowerPlay flexibility.
New Signings: Sahil Parakh (Rs 30 lakh), Ben Duckett (Rs 2 crore), Pathum Nissanka (Rs 4 crore), Kyle Jamieson (Rs 2 crore), David Miller (Rs 2 crore), Prithvi Shaw (Rs 75 lakh), Auqib Nabi Dar (Rs 8.4 crore), Lungi Ngidi (Rs 2 crore)
Players Retained: KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (wk), Nitish Rana, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Ajay Mandal, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurna Vijay, Dushmantha Chameera.
Delhi Capitals Probable XI: David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, KL Rahul (wk), Ben Duckett, Mitchell Starc, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (capt), Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
Rajasthan Royals (8/10)
RR prioritised strengthening Indian talent, signing Ravi Bishnoi for spin, Aman Rao as top-order cover, and Adam Milne to support the pace attack. Base-price youngsters added depth, making the squad flexible and balanced.
New Signings: Sushant Mishra (Rs 90 lakh), Brijesh Sharma (Rs 30 lakh), Aman Rao (Rs 30 lakh), Ravi Singh (Rs 95 lakh), Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 7.20 cr), Adam Milne (Rs 2.40 cr), Yash Raj Punja (Rs 30 lakh), Vignesh Puthur (Rs 30 lakh), Kuldeep Sen (Rs 75 lakh)
Players Retained: Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorious, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag, Sam Curran, Yudhvir Charak, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashaswi Jaiswal.
RR Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Riyan Parag (capt), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravi Bishnoi, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferriera, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande
Punjab Kings(8/10)
PBKS focused on squad depth rather than marquee signings. They added batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly, pace reinforcement in Ben Dwarshuis, and backed up spin with Praveen Dubey and Vishal Ninad, keeping the side well-rounded.
New Signings: Ben Dwarshuis (Rs 4.40 Cr), Cooper Connolly (Rs 3 Cr), Pravin Dubey (Rs 30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (Rs 30 lakh)
Players Retained: Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Probable XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Mitch Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (8/10)
RCB prioritised Indian batting depth and pace options. They signed Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav, while reuniting with Venkatesh Iyer to add stability. Base-price signings helped bolster squad depth without overspending.
New Signings: Vihaan Malhotra (Rs 30 lakh), Satvik Deswal (Rs 30 lakh), Mangesh Yadav (Rs 5.20 crore), Vicky Ostwal (Rs 30 lakh), Kanishk Chouhan (Rs 30 lakh), Jordan Cox (Rs 75 lakh), Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 7 crore), Jacob Duffy (Rs 2 crore)
Players Retained: Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thushara, Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal
Probable XI : Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood
Kolkata Knight Riders (8/10)
KKR made a strong statement by signing Cameron Green for Rs 25.2 crore and strengthening their overseas pace attack with Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert enhanced wicketkeeping options, while Indian talent provided balance and flexibility across the squad.
New Signings: Rachin Ravindra (Rs 2 crore), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 75 lakh), Finn Allen (Rs 2 crore), Sarthak Ranjan (Rs 30 lakh), Daksh Kamra (Rs 30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (Rs 30 lakh), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore), Tejasvi Singh (Rs 3 crore), Tim Seifert (Rs 1.50 crore), Cameron Green (Rs 25.20 crore),Kartik Tyagi (Rs 30 lakh), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.20 crore), Akash Deep (Rs 1 crore)
Players Retained: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy,
Probable XI: Cameron Green, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Harshit Rana, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana.
Chennai Super Kings (8/10)
CSK went bold by splurging on uncapped duo Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma and reinforced balance through Rahul Chahar, Sarfaraz Khan, Adam Milne, and Zak Foulkes. Additional depth and flexibility came from Akeal Hosein, Aman Khan, and Matthew Short, signaling a clear rebuild strategy.
New Signings: Aman Khan (Rs 40 lakh), Sarfaraz Khan (Rs 75 lakh), Akeal Hosein (Rs 2 crore), Prashant Veer (Rs 14.20 crore), Rahul Chahar (Rs 5.2 crore), Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.20 crore), Matthew Short (Rs 1.5 crore), Matt Henry (Rs 2 crore), Zak Foulkes (Rs 75 lakh)
Players Retained: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Khaleel Ahmed, Sanju Samson (traded in from RR),Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
Probable XI: Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Shivam Dube, Matt Henry, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni (wk), Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed
Mumbai Indians (9/10)
MI focused on backing up their core squad. Quinton de Kock was added as top-order cover, while low-cost Indian picks strengthened both spin and pace options, ensuring readiness without major changes.
New Signings: Mayank Rawat (Rs 30 lakh), Danish Malewar (Rs 30 lakh), Quinton de Kock (Rs 1 Cr), Atharva Ankolekar (Rs 30 lakh), Mohammad Izhar (Rs 30 lakh)
Players Retained: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur (traded), Sherfane Rutherford (traded), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande (traded), Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks.
Probable XI: Tilak Varma, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande, Trent Boult
Gujarat Titans (7/10)
GT kept their approach measured, adding uncapped pacers Ashok Sharma and Prithvi Raj Yarra, signing Jason Holder for experience, bringing in Tom Banton as Jos Buttler’s backup, and completing overseas buys with Luke Wood. The squad remains balanced and strong without overspending.
New Signings: Tom Banton (Rs 2 crore), Jason Holder (Rs 7 crore), Luke Wood (Rs 75 lakh), Prithvi Raj Yarra (Rs 30 lakh), Ashok Sharma (Rs 90 lakh)
Players Retained: Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Manav Suthar, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jos Buttler, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Jayant Yadav, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Kishore, Nishant Sindhu
Probable XI: Shubman Gill (capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Kishore, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (7/10)
SRH sought power and depth by signing Liam Livingstone and supporting the attack with domestic pacers like Shivam Mavi. While the squad gained depth, missing out on key players left gaps in Indian pace options and Powerplay strategy.
New Signings: Salil Arora (Rs 1.50 Cr), Shivang Kumar (Rs 30 lakh), Sakib Hussain (Rs 30 lakh), Liam Livingstone (Rs 13 Cr), Onkar Tarmale (Rs 30 lakh), Praful Hinge (Rs 30 lakh), Jack Edwards (Rs 3 Cr), Amit Kumar (Rs 30 lakh), Krains Fuletra (Rs 30 lakh), Shivam Mavi (Rs 75 lakh)
Players Retained: Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Smaran Ravichandaran, Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari,
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Pat Cummins (capt), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi
Lucknow Super Giants (6/10)
LSG targeted key reinforcements, signing Josh Inglis, spin option Wanindu Hasaranga, and pace support Anrich Nortje. Base-price signings filled squad depth, though some batting and injury concerns remain ahead of the season.
New Signings: Akshat Raghuwanshi (Rs 2.2 Crore), Josh Inglis (Rs 8.5 Crore), Mukul Choudhary (Rs 2.6 Crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs 2 Crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs 2 Crore), Naman Tiwari (Rs 1 Crore)
Players Retained: Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Himmat Singh, M Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed,
Probable XI: Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Shahbaz Ahmed, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Wanindu Hasaranga, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi.