Looking at the 6 most expensive players from the IPL 2026 auction

With the 2026 Indian Premier League season set to commence in March next year, a mini-auction was held for all ten franchises on Monday, with each side keen to bolster and balance their squad with important reinforcements. 

IPL auctions have been known to create intense bidding wars that lead to extremely high prices for some players, while some players move for bargain amounts. 

Here, we look at the six most expensive trades of the latest mini-auction.

6. Mustafizur Rahman | Kolkata Knight Riders | INR 9.2 crore

Bangladesh’s pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman was released by the Delhi Capitals after last season, where he played just three games for the franchise.

Coming into this auction, Rahman’s base price was set at INR 2 crore, but it went up due to a tense bidding war between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings. Ultimately, KKR secured Rahman for INR 9.2 crore, making him the fifth-most expensive player of this auction. 

Rahman has played for several IPL franchises over the years and possesses great experience in death bowling with a decent economy rate. In 60 IPL matches, he has taken 65 wickets with an average of 28.44 and an economy rate of 8.13.

The 30-year-old has arguably been Bangladesh’s most important fast bowler for over a decade now. He will definitely add a lot of sharpness and experience to the Knight Riders’ bowling attack. 

5. Liam Livingstone | SunRisers Hyderabad | INR 13 crore

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was released by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the auction, where the SunRisers Hyderabad ended up securing his services for INR 13 crore.

With a base price of INR 2 crore, Livingstone went unsold in the initial round. He was bought by SRH in the accelerated round later on, where the Hyderabad outfit faced stiff competition from the Lucknow Super Giants, who went up to INR 12.4 crore.  

The 32-year-old is a hard-hitting middle-order batter who can act as a finisher for his team. He is also a handy wicket-taker with his off-break bowling. He could prove to be a great buy for the SunRisers, who would be glad to have added another top all-rounder to their ranks. 

3. Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer | Chennai Super Kings | INR 14.2 crore each

Last season, the Chennai Super Kings showed faith in young talent by bringing in Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brewis. This year, they have replicated the same strategy by going after youngsters Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer.

The five-time IPL champions have taken a huge punt on the two inexperienced players, both of whom were priced at INR 30 lakh each. CSK made sure to maintain that parity by bringing them in for INR 14.20 crore each, thus jointly making them the third-most expensive signings of this auction. Several other franchises like the Lucknow Super Giants, the Mumbai Indians, the Kolkata Knight Riders, the SunRisers Hyderabad, and the Rajasthan Royals were also interested in the two youngsters. 

Kartik Sharma is a 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter who plays for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit, where in 12 T20 matches he has been averaging 30.36 at a strike rate of 162.92. Veer, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old off-spinner who has played only nine domestic T20 games, bowling at an average of 16.66 and an economy rate of 6.45. He can also bat lower down the order and has an excellent strike rate of 167.16.

With their move to CSK, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma have broken the record for the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history. The previous record was held by the pace bowler Avesh Khan, when he was snapped up by the Lucknow Super Giants for INR 10 crore in 2022. 

2. Matheesha Pathirana | Kolkata Knight Riders | INR 18 crore

Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana was released by CSK ahead of this auction. He ended up being the second most expensive pick, with the Kolkata Knight Riders breaking the bank for him following a fierce bidding war with the Lucknow Super Giants. 

Pathirana was part of CSK’s title-winning squad in 2023. The Super Kings retained him for INR 13 crore in the previous auction, but injury lay-offs derailed his IPL 2025 campaign, leading to the franchise choosing to let him go. Coming into this auction, Pathirana’s base price was INR 2 crore, and he ended up going for nine times that.

The 23-year-old’s economical death bowling and strike rate make him a vital asset in the shorter format, and KKR will hope he manages to shrug off his injury woes from last season.

1. Cameron Green | Kolkata Knight Riders | INR 25.20 crore

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green ended the auction night as the most expensive purchase at a staggering INR 25.20 crore. He also broke the record for the most expensive overseas player in IPL history, a record held by compatriot Mitchell Starc, who was bought by KKR themselves for INR 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. 

Green’s base price was INR 2 crore and went up to INR 25.20 crore thanks to an intense bidding war that ensued between KKR and CSK, with the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals having also been involved initially. 

Despite going for INR 25.20 crore, the 26-year-old will only receive a salary of INR 18 crore as per the guidelines issued by the BCCI last year. The rest of the amount (INR 7.2 crore) will go to the BCCI. As per the rule, the maximum fee an overseas player can stand to earn from the mini-auction is determined by the highest retention price (INR 18 crore) or the highest auction price at the mega auction (INR 27 crore, which was spent by LSG on Rishabh Pant), whichever is lower.

Green is a top-order batter who can open the bowling as well. He has previously played for MI and RCB in the IPL and boasts a superb batting average of 41.58 and a strike rate of 153.69 in 29 matches. While he can strike early for his team, his bowling average (41.50) and economy rate (9.07) in the IPL haven’t been that great, something KKR will hope changes next season.