There is less than a week left for IPL Auction 2026. The much-awaited event will take place on December 16 in the UAE. This year, 359 players will be in the fray during the auction.
While initially over 1300 players had registered for the auction, ultimately 359 players were shortlisted. A maximum of 77 players, including 31 foreign players, can be bought in the IPL auction this year. With the IPL auction around the corner, we look at why the IPL auction is no longer a good fit for young talent.
Also read: IPL 2026 auction: Domestic actors who deserve ₹5+ crore deals
Why is the IPL auction no longer suitable for young talent?
Teams looking for established names:
There is no denying the fact that IPL is not a tournament where teams would like to hone talent. Teams pay big bucks to sign players and they will want to get immediate results for their investment. Not surprisingly, teams prefer to pick established players and avoid young names. The auction generally rewards past performance and this makes things more difficult for the youngsters.
Inconsistent Scouting and Testing:
Some IPL teams are really famous for their scouting system. The rise of players like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah is largely the result of Mumbai Indians’ good scouting system. Interestingly, Mumbai Indians managed to buy both the players cheaply. However, not all IPL teams have such a good scouting system and young players usually fail to attract attention. Even if one or two teams catch their eye, they are unlikely to fetch big money in the auction.
No enthusiasm for young players:
Unless young players do something really extraordinary, there is no real hype around them. And one has observed that IPL auctions have been driven by sentiment over the years. Even for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who created a stir in the IPL last year, there was no bidding war in the IPL auction. Therefore, the young players need to create some buzz with their performances to bag lucrative contracts in the IPL auction.
