A total of 1355 cricketers from across the world have registered for the upcoming IPL 2026 auction, which is scheduled to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. These numbers indicate that the auction will be full of drama, surprises and massive bidding wars.
Each franchise is allowed to field a maximum of 25 players, and based on the current team list, 77 spots are still open across the ten IPL teams. Out of these 77 slots, only 31 can be given to foreign players, while the rest will be given to Indian players.
1,355 players register for IPL 2026 auction, Abu Dhabi gears up for mega event
As per ESPN Cricinfo report, 43 overseas players and two Indian players have placed themselves in the ₹2 crore maximum base price category for the IPL 2026 auction. The top class includes Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana and both are expected to attract huge attention.
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Green missed the entire IPL 2025 season due to injury, which makes his return even more exciting for teams looking for a solid all-round option for the next season. On the other hand, Pathirana will reportedly be the top target for many franchises after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) surprisingly released him ahead of the auction.
Currently, Mitchell Starc holds the record for the most expensive player in the IPL mini-auction. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had spent ₹24.75 crore to sign the Australian fast bowler in 2024. This record will probably not be broken this time and KKR has made it in its name.
KKR comes with a purse of ₹64.30 crore, but BCCI has imposed a salary cap of ₹18 crore for foreign players
Notably, KKR enters the 2026 auction with a huge purse of ₹64.30 crore after retaining only 12 players. But this year there has been a big turn. BCCI has introduced a new rule that changes the salary structure of foreign players in the mini auction.
According to this rule, no foreign player can earn more than ₹18 crore, even if the bid crosses that amount. This new rule was introduced ahead of the 2025 mega auction, in which the highest slab for foreign retention was set at ₹18 crore.
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The rule says that even if a franchise bids more than ₹18 crore for a foreign cricketer, the player will still get only ₹18 crore. The additional amount, over ₹18 crore, will be taken by the BCCI and used for player welfare programmes.
Indian players exempt from ₹18 crore limit
However, the entire bid amount (for example, ₹20 crore) will still be deducted from the team’s purse. This rule does not apply to Indian players. If an Indian cricketer is bought for Rs 20 crore or more, he will get the full amount without any deduction.
This means that if players like Green or Pathirana get a bid of ₹20 crore in the upcoming auction, they will individually take home ₹18 crore, and the remaining ₹2 crore will go to the BCCI’s welfare fund. However, the franchise will have to pay the entire ₹20 crore from its auction amount.
