There is an auction today for IPL 2026, in which 10 teams will bid for slots of a total of 77 players. BCCI had shortlisted 350 players, which include many big names. There was apprehension about many players that they might be sold at an expensive price, but like every time, this time also such players would come forward whose names were less talked about and they might get a bigger package. Know about 5 such hidden gems.

Karthik Sharma (30 lakh base price)

Karthik Sharma is a power hitter batsman of T20. He is an expert in hitting big shots, whose strike rate has been above 160. He can play the role of a finisher well, Chennai Super Kings is also looking for a similar finisher. Karthik has hit 28 sixes in 12 T20s. Former cricketer Ashwin has also praised him. He can get a big price in today’s auction. His base price is Rs 30 lakh.

Aaqib Nabi (30 lakh base price)

Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Aaqib Nabi is known for wreaking havoc with the new ball. He is an adept at swinging the ball, having taken 4 wickets in 4 balls against East Zone in the 2025 Duleep Trophy. He can prove to be dangerous in the death overs also. He can bowl good yorker balls. Many teams may compete for Nabi in the auction, hence his price may increase. The base price of Nabi is Rs 30 lakh.

Quinton de Kock (2 crore base price)

South African wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock has good experience in IPL. He is an opening batsman, who is known for playing attacking game from the first ball. Recently he returned from T20 retirement, after which he played an inning of 90 runs in 45 balls against India. Rajasthan Royals may try to take De Kock in their team, they are also looking for a wicket keeper. De Kock’s bid may surprise everyone in the auction this time.

Ashok Sharma (30 lakh base price)

Ashok Sharma has been the top performer for Rajasthan this year, whose performance in domestic cricket was excellent. He bowls at a speed of more than 140. In an interview given to Cricinfo, Ashok had revealed that he had dismissed Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler in the trials. Many teams can go as far as a big bid to include him in their team. His base price is 30 lakhs.

Jake Fraser-McGurk (2 crore base price)

Australia’s explosive batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk is one of the youngest players in this auction. He is known for hitting big shots from the first ball, which can spoil the rhythm of good bowlers. Although he lacks experience, after all the teams also have a strong coaching staff who can take the responsibility of preparing Fraser. Kolkata Knight Riders need a top-order explosive batsman, they also have the highest money in the auction. In such a situation, it can go to a big bid to buy Jake Fraser-McGurk, whose base price is already Rs 2 crore.

The discussion about who will be the most expensive players in the IPL 2026 auction has now started among cricket fans. There will be a mini auction in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday (December 16), for which BCCI has released the list of 350 shortlisted players. A total of 238 players, including Indians and foreigners, are uncapped. Know who could be those 5 players who can be sold the most expensively in the uncapped category.

Kunal Chandela

All eyes will be on Kunal Chandela, who is currently the top run scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has scored 350 runs in 7 innings at an average of 50. Before the IPL 2026 auction, his form can surely fetch him a huge amount, many teams can bet on him. Due to this their price may increase. The base price of Kunal is Rs 30 lakh.

31-year-old Kunal Chandela has scored 890 runs in 32 T20 innings at an average of 30.68, his strike rate is also good (134.84). He has scored 6 half-centuries in this format.

Ashok Sharma

Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma is dominating the bowling in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. He is currently the bowler taking the most wickets in the tournament. He has taken 19 wickets in 7 matches. Ashok Sharma’s base price in IPL auction is Rs 30 lakh.

23 year old Ashok Sharma was in Rajasthan Royals last year, although he could not debut. He has taken 19 wickets in 7 T20 matches, which is fantastic. He has taken 4 wickets in 2 matches. Surely there can be a fight between the teams to buy him in the IPL auction.

Aaqib Nabi Dar

Aaqib Nabi Dar is one of the 8 Jammu and Kashmir players included in the IPL 2026 auction. The base price of the 29-year-old all-rounder is Rs 30 lakh. Aaqib has been in the news for the last several years, having scored 141 runs in 17 T20 innings. He has 43 wickets in his name in 34 T20 matches, he has taken 4 wickets twice. There may be a competition among IPL teams to buy him, due to which he can get a huge amount in IPL.

Vignesh Puthur

24-year-old Vignesh Puthur was a part of the Mumbai Indians team last year, who played 5 matches and took 6 wickets. Spinner Vignesh was in the news a lot. His base price is Rs 30 lakh. All the franchises know their game, now they also have tournament experience. He can get a big price in the IPL auction.

Nikhil Chaudhary

Nikhil Chaudhary, who has played for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, has registered his name in the Indian uncapped category. 29-year-old Nikhil played a total of 20 matches in the Big Bash League, in which he took 9 wickets. Born in Delhi, Nikhil plays for Punjab in domestic.

Nikhil Chaudhary has taken 16 wickets in a total of 36 T20 matches. He has scored 538 runs in 30 innings. Many teams can bet on him also, because he also has experience of playing in big leagues like Big Bash League. Nikhil’s base price in IPL auction is Rs 40 lakh.

Group stage matches of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-2026 are ongoing. Most of the teams have played 6-6 matches. Ayush Mhatre, who was earlier the top run scorer, has now slipped to second place. Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma is in third place, although he will now be seen in the T20 series against South Africa. Currently, Rajasthan team’s Ashok Sharma has the most wickets in the tournament, Yash Thakur is at the second place.

On Saturday, against Tripura, Kunal Chandela of Uttarakhand played an inning of 51 runs in 37 balls and became the top run scorer of the tournament. Ayush Mhatre has come at second place, this was the sixth match of Uttarakhand, after which Kunal has scored a total of 343 runs in 6 innings. Ayush Mhatre, who reached second place, has scored 325 runs in 6 matches. Ayush has scored 2 centuries so far. Whereas Kunal’s highest innings is 94 runs.

Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma is at third place with 304 runs, but he will now join the national team for the 5-match T20 series against South Africa. Ishan Kishan is at number 7 in the top-10 list, who has scored 271 runs in 6 matches.

Top-10 run scorer in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

1. Kunal Chandela (Uttarakhand)- 343
2. Ayush Mhatre (Mumbai)- 325
3. Abhishek Sharma (Punjab)- 304
4. Ravichandran Smaran (Karnataka)- 295
5. Yashvardhan Dalal (Haryana)- 288
6. Devdutt Padikkal (Karnataka)- 277
7. Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand)- 271
8. Manan Vohra (Chandigarh)- 267
9. Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal)- 255
10. Priyojit Singh (Manipur)- 239

Ashok Sharma, currently playing for Rajasthan, has the most wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-2026, who has taken 18 wickets in 6 matches. Yash Thakur of Vidarbha is at second place with 14 wickets.

Top 10 wicket takers in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

1. Ashok Sharma (Rajasthan)- 18
2. Yash Thakur (Vidarbha)- 14
3. KM Asif (Kerala)- 13
4. Anshul Kamboj (Haryana)- 13
5. Mukhtar Hussain (Assam)- 13
6. Vipraj Nigam (Uttar Pradesh)- 13
7. Rajesh Mohanty (Odisha)- 12
8. Aaqib Nabi (Jammu and Kashmir)- 12
9. Raj Limbani (Baroda)- 12
10. Rajan Kumar (Uttarakhand)- 12