IPL 2026: Top five most expensive names in auction

IPL 2026 auction took place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction took place on Tuesday, December 16 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. A total of 359 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer in the auction, which had 40 players in the highest category of INR 2 crore bracket.

Earlier, a total of 350 players were shortlisted for the auction. However, 19 players were added just 24 hours ahead of the event. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were the most dominating sides in the auction, as they had the maximum salary cap available in their kitty.

Moreover, KKR had the maximum slots available (13), followed by SRH with 10 vacant places. A few players earned hefty amounts from various franchises in the auction. On that note, below are the top five most expensive players in the IPL 2026 auction.

IPL 2026: Top five most expensive players

5. Liam Livingstone – INR 13 crore

England batter Liam Livingstone was acquired for INR 13 crore by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), becoming the fifth-most expensive player in IPL 2026 auction. He made his debut in IPL 2019 season and has played a total of 49 games so far, smacking 1051 runs at an average of 26.58.

Livingstone played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first two seasons in 2019 and 2021. Later, he represented Punjab Kings (PBKS) from 2022 to 2024. He was part of RCB last season, but was released by the franchise ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction.

4. Kartik Sharma – INR 14.20 crore

Kartik Sharma was one of the surprise buys of IPL 2026 auction. The wicket-keeper batter, who had a base price of INR 30 lakh, was acquired by CSK for a hefty amount of INR 14.20 crore. The 19-year-old is expected to make his debut in IPL 2026. He plays for Rajasthan in domestic cricket.

3. Prashant Veer- INR 14.20 crore

Prashant Veer was another youngster who grabbed a lot of eyeballs in IPL 2026 auction by receiving a hefty amount from CSK. The Men in Yellow shelled out INR 14.20 crore to grab him into their squad. He is a slow left-arm orthodox spinner and also is handy with the bat. He plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. With Kartik, he became the joint-highest uncapped player in the IPL auction history.

2. Matheesha Pathirana- INR 18 crore

Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana became another big buy of IPL 2026 auction, acquiring INR 18 crore by KKR. He also had a base price of INR 2 crore in the auction. The right-arm pacer made his debut in the tournament in the 2022 edition for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The franchise backed him over the years, before eventually releasing him ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction.

5. Cameron Green- INR 25.20 crore

Cameron Green grabs the top spot on this list. The Australian all-rounder emerged as the highest buy of IPL 2026 auction. He was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 25.20 crore. He had a base price of INR 2 crore.

The Australian all-rounder did not feature in the last edition due to a back injury. He last played in the 2024 season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and was released by them ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction, where he did not participate.

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