IPL 2026 auction: Venkatesh Iyer to Cameron Green and Rachin Ravindra – Likely list of players at ₹2 crore base price
Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a staggering 23.75 crores in the previous auction, has been released by the franchise during the IPL 2026 Retentions. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has listed himself at ₹2 crore.
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises are gearing up for the mini-auction, scheduled for 16 December in Abu Dhabi. Unlike the mega auction, the IPL 2026 mini auction will be a one-day affair.
Although the official list has not been released yet, according to a Cricbuzz report, at least 40 players have registered for the IPL 2026 auction with a maximum base price of ₹2 crore. Only two Indians fall into that bracket: Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
According to the report, a 13-page Excel sheet lists exactly 1,355 players, comprising 1,062 Indians and 293 overseas players. The list is to be further pruned, with a final list expected to be announced soon.
Likely list of players at ₹2 crore base price for IPL 2026 auction
| Country | Player |
|---|---|
| India | Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer |
| Afghanistan | Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq |
| Australia | Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Ben Cutting, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Steve Smith |
| Bangladesh | Mustafizur Rahman |
| England | Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Daniel Lawrence, Liam Livingstone, Tymal Mills, Jamie Smith |
| New Zealand | Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, William O'Rourke, Rachin Ravindra |
| South Africa | Gerald Coetzee, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Wiese |
| Sri Lanka | Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana |
| West Indies | Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph |
Earlier, during the IPL 2026 Retention, a total of 173 players were retained, which included 49 foreign names. During the IPL 2026 auction, to be held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, a combined purse of ₹237.55 crore will be available for 77 slots to be filled.
Each team is allowed to have a maximum of 25 players. Among the franchises, IPL 2025 runners-up Punjab Kings retained the maximum number of players - 21. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians and 2022 winners Gujarat Titans have retained 20 players each.
Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will have the highest purse of ₹64.3 crore and will need to fill 13 slots, including six overseas spots. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings will enter the auction with the second-biggest purse of ₹43.4 crore.
Squad Size, salary purse before IPL 2026 auction
| Franchise | No of Players | No of Overseas Players | Total money spent (in Rs) | Salary cap available (in Rs) | Available Slots | Overseas Slots |
| Chennai Super Kings | 16 | 4 | 81.6 | 43.4 | 9 | 4 |
| Delhi Capitals | 17 | 3 | 103.2 | 21.8 | 8 | 5 |
| Gujarat Titans | 20 | 4 | 112.1 | 12.9 | 5 | 4 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | 2 | 60.7 | 64.3 | 13 | 6 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 19 | 4 | 102.05 | 22.95 | 6 | 4 |
| Mumbai Indians | 20 | 7 | 122.25 | 2.75 | 5 | 1 |
| Punjab Kings | 21 | 6 | 113.5 | 11.5 | 4 | 2 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 17 | 6 | 108.6 | 16.4 | 8 | 2 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 16 | 7 | 108.95 | 16.05 | 9 | 1 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 15 | 6 | 99.5 | 25.5 | 10 | 2 |
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