IPL 2026 Auction: How the Teams Fared – Part I

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Full Squad: Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Venkatesh Iyer (INR 7 Cr), Mangesh Yadav (INR 5.20 Cr), Jacob Duffy (INR 2 Cr), Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Rasikh Dar, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Yash Dayal. Additional signings: Vihaan Malhotra (INR 30 lakh), Jordan Cox (INR 75 lakh), Satvik Deswal (INR 30 lakh), Vicky Ostwal (INR 30 lakh), Kanishk Chouhan (INR 30 lakh).

Auction Activity: The defending champions entered with a settled squad and demonstrated restraint, bidding for only 10 players and securing eight. Their key objectives were to secure backup for the injury-prone Josh Hazlewood and find a left-arm pace option. They addressed the first by acquiring top-ranked T20I fast bowler Jacob Duffy at base price and the second by securing Mangesh Yadav for INR 5.20 crore.

The defining moment was successfully acquiring long-term target Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore after a bidding duel with Kolkata Knight Riders, significantly deepening their Indian batting core.

Chennai Super Kings

Full Squad: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Nathan Ellis, Sarfaraz Khan (INR 75 lakh), Kartik Sharma (INR 14.20 Cr), Prashant Veer (INR 14.20 Cr), Rahul Chahar (INR 5.2 Cr), Akeal Hosein (INR 2 Cr), Matt Henry (INR 2 Cr), Matthew Short (INR 1.50 Cr), Aman Khan (INR 40 lakh), Zak Foulkes (INR 75 lakh). Remaining squad: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel.

Auction Activity: CSK allocated over 50% of their budget on two young players: middle-order wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma and all-rounder Prashant Veer, both purchased for identical sums of INR 14.20 crore each. They engaged in a battle for Cameron Green but withdrew at INR 25.20 crore.

In seeking backup for Nathan Ellis, they pursued former player Mustafizur Rahman but lost him to KKR. An attempt to sign Jason Holder was outbid by Gujarat Titans. Unable to secure Ravi Bishnoi, they settled for Rahul Chahar. Additional signings included Sarfaraz Khan, New Zealand pacers Matt Henry and Zak Foulkes, Akeal Hosein, Aman Khan, and Matthew Short as CSK looks to rebound from a wooden spoon finish.

Punjab Kings

Full Squad: Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Dwarshuis (INR 4.40 Cr), Cooper Connolly (INR 3 Cr), Pravin Dubey (INR 30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (INR 30 lakh). Remaining squad: Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur.

Auction Activity: PBKS had a quiet auction after retaining 21 players from their 2025 finalist squad. They bid on just six players, securing four. They pursued former spinner Rahul Chahar up to INR 5 crore before stepping away, opting instead for leg-spinners Vishal Nishad and Pravin Dubey at base price as cover for Yuzvendra Chahal.

Their largest investment was INR 4.40 crore for fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis as insurance for Lockie Ferguson. They also added Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly for INR 3 crore, providing left-handed balance and part-time spin.

Gujarat Titans

Full Squad: Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder (INR 7 crore), Tom Banton (INR 2 crore), Ashok Sharma (INR 90 lakh), Luke Wood (INR 75 lakh), Prithvi Raj Yarra (INR 30 lakh). Remaining squad: Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Arshad Khan, Nishant Sindhu.

Auction Activity: Needing to fill five slots (four overseas), GT secured three overseas players and two Indian pacers. They began with a brief pursuit of Venkatesh Iyer before acquiring Ashok Sharma for INR 90 lakh. The Rajasthan quick currently leads the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wicket-taking charts.

They engaged in a 26-bid war with CSK to secure Jason Holder for INR 7 crore to bolster their overseas balance. They added Tom Banton at his base price of INR 2 crore as backup for Jos Buttler, and rounded out the squad with left-arm seamers Prithvi Raj Yarra and Luke Wood.

Lucknow Super Giants

Full Squad: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), KL Rahul, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Mohammed Shami, Josh Inglis (INR 8.5 Crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 2 Crore), Anrich Nortje (INR 2 Crore), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 Crore), Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 Crore), Naman Tiwari (INR 1 Crore). Remaining squad: Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshin Kulkarni, Himmat Singh, M Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed.

Auction Activity: With INR 22.95 crore for six slots (four overseas), LSG had a relatively quiet start. They bid for Venkatesh Iyer and Matheesha Pathirana but withdrew. They made valuable base-price additions in Wanindu Hasaranga (spin) and Anrich Nortje (pace).

They pushed for Liam Livingstone until INR 12.8 crore before losing him to SRH, then invested INR 8.5 crore in Josh Inglis despite potential availability concerns for 2026. They also picked domestic prospects Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mukul Choudhary, and Naman Tiwari.