Ahead of the mini-auction, many teams have dared to release some of their key players who have failed to perform well in the last few seasons. The IPL 2026 mini-auction is likely to be owned by the two franchises who have the biggest purses, with some bizarre interference from others.
The IPL 2026 mini-auction will now be an exciting saga with the arrival of some exceptionally talented players like Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock, Mathisha Pathirana, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Glenn Maxwell.
Additionally, many teams have a number of overseas slots vacant and would be keen to capture these big names. But to do this they will need sufficient funds in their wallet.
IPL 2026 biggest pre-season trade list
The IPL 2026 pre-season saw some of the biggest trades in IPL history. Many other trade speculations that were in the media could not come true, especially the famous KL Rahul going to KKR or Washington Sundar going to CSK.
However, CSK included Sanju Samson to fulfill their hopes of having an experienced Indian wicketkeeper batsman for the future in the absence of veteran MS Dhoni. However, to bring in Samson, they agreed to let go of one of their most experienced boys, Ravindra Jadeja, who is the best all-rounder for the yellow team till date.
Several other big moves marked Mohammed Shami’s all-cash deal to LSG and some tactical swaps between Mumbai Indians and other teams like Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants for players like Sherfane Rutherford and Shardul Thakur.
IPL 2026 mini auction will see monopoly of two major teams
Chennai Super Kings has become the franchise to release most of its players. They have released a total of 11 players with some big names like Ravindra Jadeja (traded) and Mathisha Pathirana.
Along with CSK, another franchise that has let go of its experienced campaigners, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell, is Kolkata Knight Riders. Due to their separation, they have got huge wealth in their kitty.
Remaining purses for all franchises in IPL 2026:
Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 64.3 crore
Chennai Super Kings – Rs 43.4 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 25.5 crore
Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 22.95 crore
Delhi Capitals – Rs 21.8 crore
Rajasthan Royals – Rs 16.05 crore
Royal Challengers Bangalore – INR 16.4 crore
Gujarat Titans – Rs 12.9 crore
Punjab Kings – Rs 11.5 crore
Mumbai Indians – Rs 2.75 crore
How many player slots are left vacant in all the 10 IPL teams?
All the teams have released many players from their squad, some of whom are popular cricketers and some are unknown entities, leaving many vacancies in the franchises. As per IPL rules, each franchise is allowed to have a maximum of 25 players and a minimum of 18 players.
Here is the number of vacant slots across all IPL franchises:
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 10 (2 overseas)
Chennai Super Kings – 9 (4 overseas)
Kolkata Knight Riders – 13 (6 overseas)
Mumbai Indians – 5 (1 overseas)
Delhi Capitals – 8 (5 overseas)
Rajasthan Royals – 9 (1 overseas)
Gujarat Titans – 5 (4 overseas)
Lucknow Super Giants – 6 (4 overseas)
Punjab Kings – 4 (2 overseas)
Royal Challengers Bangalore – 8 (2 overseas)
Also read: Will Sanju Samson become the captain of CSK in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad? Franchise made official announcement
