IPL 2026 Auction: 5 Players who were picked by their old teams

A total of 77 players were bought by 10 franchises in IPL 2026 auction.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction took place on December 16 (Tuesday) in Abu Dhabi. A total of 369 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer in the mini auction, where 10 teams engaged in exciting bidding wars to steal their favourite players.

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green became the costliest buy in the auction, getting picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 25.20 crore. Matheesha Pathirana, who was bought by KKR for INR 18 crore, was the next biggest buy of the event.

Among domestic players, uncapped player Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer grabbed expensive deals. Getting picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 14.20 crore each, they scripted the record for becoming the most expensive uncapped players in the IPL auction’s history.

A total of 77 players, including 29 overseas players, were acquired by the 10 teams, as they spent a total of INR 215.45 crore to grab their favourite names. While many players will have a new team in IPL 2026, a few players were bought back by their previous teams. On that note, below are five players who will return to their previous teams in IPL 2026.

IPL 2026 Auction: 5 Players who were picked by their old teams

5. Rahul Tripathi (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Rahul Tripathi had a base price of INR 75 lakh in IPL 2026 auction and was captured by KKR. The right-handed batter represented the same team in the 2020 and 2021 editions. In the last season, he played for CSK, hitting 55 runs in five games and failing to make a mark with the bat.

4. Matt Henry (Chennai Super Kings)

Matt Henry, who is a right-arm medium pacer from New Zealand, made his debut in IPL in the 2017 edition for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). After missing a few seasons, he represented Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024 edition. Last year, he was part of CSK. Although the Men in Yellow released him ahead of IPL 2026 auction, they bought him back for his base price of INR 2 crore.

3. Tim Seifert (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Tim Seifert, who is a well-known wicket-keeper batter from New Zealand, has represented the BlackCaps in the white-ball formats. The right-handed batter made his debut in the 2021 edition, representing KKR. He played just one game in the tournament before joining Delhi Capitals in the 2022 edition. In the IPL 2026 auction, KKR bought him for INR 1.5 crore.

2. Lungi Ngidi (Delhi Capitals)

South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi has been a well-known name in IPL and has been active in the tournament since the 2018 edition. However, he has only played 16 games over the years. From 2018 to 2021, he was part of CSK.

In IPL 2024, the Proteas pacer was part of Delhi Capitals (DC) but was ruled out due to an injury and replaced by Jake Fraser-McGurk. He became a member of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. In IPL 2026 auction, he was picked by Capitals for his base price of INR 2 crore.

1. Quinton de Kock (Mumbai Indians)

South Africa batter Quinton de Kock was part of the INR 1 crore bracket in IPL 2026 auction. He was bought by Mumbai Indians for his base price, and they were the only side bid for him. Earlier, the left-handed batsman represented the five-match time champions from the 2019 to 2021 editions, before becoming a member of Lucknow Super Giants from 2022 to 2024 seasons. In IPL 2025, he played for KKR.

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