IPL 2026 mini auction to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi - Reports

IPL 2026 mini auction is likely to be a one-day event, unlike the mega-auctions, which go on for two days.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. This is the third year in a row that the event will be held abroad, according to reports in the ESPNcricinfo. The first-ever IPL auction staged outside of India took place in Dubai in 2024. The two-day mega auction for the 2025 season took place in Jeddah in November.

After the 2025 season, the trade window will remain open until one week before the auction, at which point it will restart till one month before IPL 2026 season begins. A player who will be purchased at the 2026 auction cannot be traded by any of the ten teams.

IPL 2026 auction will be a mini auction that will be finished in a single day, in contrast to the mega auctions. By 3 p.m. IST on November 15, all teams are required to submit their list of players who were retained and dismissed from their 2025 rosters. Teams can then shortlist players from the list of registered players. After receiving the list, the IPL will finalize the auction pool.

Four players have been traded ahead of the IPL 2026 auction

So far, the IPL trade window has resulted in two confirmed moves. Mumbai Indians (MI) completed two all-cash trades while they were active in the market. They paid ₹2 crore for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) player Shardul Thakur and ₹2.6 crore for Gujarat Titans (GT) player Sherfane Rutherford.

According to multiple reports, Sanju Samson will be traded from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange of all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. On the other hand, MI are also likely to let go of former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun Tendulkar in an all-cash trade to LSG.

The tentative window for IPL 2026 is March 15 to May 31.

All eyes will be on Abu Dhabi as December 16 approaches, as the auction hammer in the wealthy league has the potential to turn fortunes once more.

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