The IPL 2026 Mini Auction held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025, created massive excitement in the cricket world. The 10 franchises spent a total of ₹237.55 crore to fill 77 slots. Records were broken, young Indian talents fetched crores, and overseas players also attracted heavy bidding. Let's take a look at the key highlights of this thrilling day.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green made history. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him for ₹25.20 crore, the highest amount ever paid for an overseas player in IPL history. This broke the previous record held by his compatriot Mitchell Starc, who was bought by KKR for ₹24.75 crore in the 2024 auction.
However, due to BCCI's new rule, overseas players in mini auctions have a salary cap of ₹18 crore. Green will receive only ₹18 crore, with the remaining ₹7.20 crore going to the BCCI's Player Welfare Fund. Franchises have to deduct the full amount from their purse. This rule was introduced to prevent overseas players from taking undue advantage of high demand.
The auction started with intense bidding for Green between KKR, CSK, and RR. In the end, KKR won the battle. Green missed IPL 2025 due to a back injury but is now returning fully fit.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made bold investments in uncapped players. Uttar Pradesh's 20-year-old all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan's 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Kartik Sharma were both bought for ₹14.20 crore. Their base price was only ₹30 lakh – a whopping 47 times more!
Both became the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history. CSK sees them as long-term investments for the future.
Several stars found no buyers: