Who won the IPL 2026 auction? Ranking every team from best to worst

The IPL 2026 mini-auction featured record signings and strategic moves, with INR 215.45 crore spent on 77 players.

Published on: Dec 19, 2025, 06:33:30 IST

By Probuddha Bhattacharjee

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The IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi delivered drama, record-breaking signings, and strategic masterstrokes alongside puzzling decisions. With INR 215.45 crore distributed across 77 player slots, the December 16 auction reshaped championship aspirations.

The franchise spent INR 215.45 crore during the IPL 2026 auction.

Cameron Green shattered records at INR 25.20 crore, while Chennai Super Kings stunned observers by spending INR 14.20 crore each on uncapped duo Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, the joint most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.

As the dust settles, some franchises executed flawlessly, whilst others left gaping holes. Here is how each team fared, ranked from most impressive to most questionable.

1. Kolkata Knight Riders: The gold standard

KKR delivered auction perfection. Armed with the largest purse ahead of the event and 13 vacancies, they addressed every single need.

Cameron Green provides the elite all-rounder firepower to replace Andre Russell
Matheesha Pathirana solves their death-bowling vulnerability
Finn Allen and Tim Seifer cover the wicketkeeper-opener void left by de Kock and Gurbaz’s departures
Mustafizur Rahman and Akash Deep add bowling depth

2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Maximum value extracted

The defending champions demonstrated how to stretch limited resources. With just INR 16.40 crore available, RCB secured exceptional value.

Venkatesh Iyer at INR 7 crore, down from INR 23.75 crore last year, is a brilliant business
Jordan Coxt at INR 75 Lakh might be the auction’s greatest steal: a versatile English keeper-batter offering immense flexibility.
Jacob Duffy provides overseas pace backup for Josh Hazlewood.

3. Delhi Capitals: Comprehensive squad building

DC filled every critical gap with surgical precision.

Ben Duckett delivers the explosive opener they desperately needed
David Miller at INR 2 crore is highway robbery for a proven finisher.
Pathum Nissanka adds top-order depth to the squad
Lungi Ngidi and Kyle Jamieson bolster the pace attack
The INR 8.40 crore gamble on Auqib Dar Nabi could also prove transformative

4. Gujarat Titans: Steady and sensible

GT’s minimal needs allowed measured spending.

Jason Holder solves multiple problems: middle-order depth, pace bowling and experience
Tom Banton provides explosive backup

With a settled core already sustained, GT avoided unnecessary risks. Perhaps conservative given their INR 12.90 crore purse, but why fix what isn’t broken after their consistent performances?

5. Chennai Super Kings: Revolutionary Gamble

CSK’s auction represents either visionary genius or catastrophic miscalculation.

Investing INR 28.40 crore in two uncapped players, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, is unprecedented territory. This radical departure from their traditional experience first philosophy consumed two-thirds of their INR 43.40 crore purse
Consequently they missed elite all-rounders like Cameron Green
Matt Henry and Akeal Hosein provide quality but not elite firepower.

Also Read: Cameron Green opens for KKR, CSK fields both Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma? Strongest IPL 2026 XIs of all teams

6. Rajasthan Royals: Bowling fixed, batting vulnerable

RR addressed their spinning crisis emphatically.

Ravi Bishnoi at INR 7.20 crore fills the void left by Hasaranga and Theekshana’s departures
Adam Milne reduces dangerous dependency on Jofra Archer
However, trading Sanju Samson without securing adequate top-order replacements leaves batting concerns.

7. Punjab Kings: If it ain’t broke

As 2025 runners-up, PBKS required minimal tinkering.

Cooper Connolly adequately replaces Glenn Maxwell with aggressive batting and left-arm spin
Ben Dwarshuis covers as Lockie Ferguson’s backup

Just four purchases reflected their settled squad.

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad - Questionable big purchase

SRH’s auction raises significant concerns.

Liam Livingstone represents massive overpayment for an all-rounder who is yet to prove himself in the IPL
Critically, they failed to address the Adam Zampa-shaped spinner vacancy
Mohammed Shami’s replacement also remains inadequate

Whilst their batting brims with firepower, the bowling attack appears worryingly fragile for championship contention.

9. Lucknow Super Giants: Strategic missteps

LSG’s puzzling decisions undermine their squad balance.

Spending INR 8.60 crore on Josh Inglis, who will miss substantial portion of the season is questionable value
They desperately needed David Miller’s finishing expertise but let him slip to Delhi for just INR 2 crore
Wanindu Hasaranga for INR 2 crore excellently replaces Ravi Bishnoi, but the line-up remains dangerously top-heavy without proven lower-order firepower

10. Mumbai Indians: N/A

MI cannot be fairly assessed. Retaining 20 players left just INR 2.75 crore available. Quinton de Kock at INR 1 crore provides great value, but a genuine auction strategy was impossible. Their planning succeeded during retentions rather than at auction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Probuddha Bhattacharjee
Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.Read More

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