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 auction for IPL 2026 will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, where 10 teams will bid on players for 77 vacant slots. BCCI has released the list of shortlisted players, in which Indian all-rounder Deepak Hooda is also there. But just before the auction, a bad news has come for him, he remains in the list of players with questionable bowling action. If he is selected in any IPL team, he may also be banned from bowling in 2026.

30-year-old Deepak Hooda, who currently plays for Rajasthan in domestic cricket, is still in the doubtful category like in the last IPL edition. According to the report of Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday gave this information about Hooda’s bowling action to the IPL franchises before the auction to be held on December 16.

Deepak Hooda bowls part-time off-spin. In the last edition, he played 7 matches for Chennai Super Kings team, but did not bowl in any of them. He has since bowled six overs in BCCI domestic tournaments.

Deepak Hooda last bowled in the match played against Jharkhand on 8 December, where he took 1 wicket for 24 runs in 3 overs. If he is called for suspicious action again, he may be banned from bowling in the IPL.

Deepak Hooda in IPL 2026 auction

Deepak Hooda is included in the all-rounder category in the IPL auction, where his base price is Rs 75 lakh. Deepak made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2015, since then he has played a total of 125 matches for 5 teams (RR, SRH, PBKS, LSG, CSK). In this he has 1496 runs and 10 wickets in his name.

Deepak Hooda has played 10 ODI and 21 T20 International matches for India, in which he has scored 153, 368 runs respectively. This news regarding him before the IPL auction can create problems for him.

The auction for IPL 2026 will be held in Abu Dhabi on 16th (December). 10 teams will bid for 77 slots, this process will start at 2:30 pm. Of course the T20 format provides extra help to the batsmen but a good bowler can turn the lost game in favor of his team. That’s why Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the first two players who got more than Rs 20 crore in the auction. Know which 5 balls can get more money in the upcoming auction.

sky lamp

Indian fast bowler Akash Deep has been playing IPL since 2022, but he did not get enough opportunities in any season. In 4 seasons, he has played a total of 14 matches, in which he has taken 10 wickets. Akash has played 3 seasons for RCB and 1 season for Lucknow Super Giants, but LSG has released him. Akash’s base price in IPL auction is Rs 1 crore, but CSK, Hyderabad can make a big bet to buy him.

lungi ngidi

29-year-old South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was a part of the champion team (RCB) last year, but Royal Challengers Bangalore has released him. The base price of Ngidi is Rs 2 crore, but this amount can go much higher. The reason behind this is his recent form.

Lungi Ngidi bowled brilliantly in the first 2 T20s against India, he dismissed Shubman Gill in the very first over of both the matches. He has taken a total of 5 wickets in 2 matches. Last year, he played only 2 matches for RCB, in which he took 4 wickets.

Mathisha Pathirana

Many teams will have their eyes on Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana, who has been playing for Chennai Super Kings for the last 4 editions. He has taken 47 wickets in 32 matches played in IPL, his specialty is that he bowls brilliantly in powerplay and death overs.

The base price of Mathisha Pathirana in the auction is Rs 2 crore. If we look at his record in T20 International, he has taken 31 wickets in 21 matches. CSK can also include him back in their team.

Enrique Norkhia

South Africa’s other bowler could be Enrique Norkhia, who can get a huge amount. 32-year-old Norkhia was a part of the KKR team last year, but the team has released him too. However, in the last edition, he got to play only 2 matches, in which he could take only 1 wicket. Apart from this, he has taken 60 wickets in 46 matches for Delhi Capitals.

Chetan Sakariya

27-year-old Chetan Sakaria was also a part of Kolkata Knight Riders last year, he got to play only 1 match. Sakariya is a good bowler, although he has not got enough opportunities to prove himself. In IPL he has taken 20 wickets in 20 matches. Chetan Sakaria’s base price is Rs 75 lakh, but he can get an amount worth crores.

Out of 350 players shortlisted for IPL 2026 auction, 8 are from Jammu and Kashmir, out of which Aaqib Nabi Dar is being discussed the most. The IPL auction will take place next Tuesday (December 16) in Abu Dhabi, it will start at 2:30 pm. Know what the record of Aaqib Ali Dar has been.

BCCI released the list of 350 shortlisted players for the IPL auction on Tuesday, December 9. 8 players from Jammu and Kashmir were included in this, they are – Aaqib Nabi Dar, Nasir Muzaffar, Atif Mushtaq, Wasim Khande, Vivarant Sharma, Kamran Iqbal, Abid Mushtaq and Ashwin Murugan. Aaqib Dar is a resident of Sheeri village in Baramulla district of North Kashmir.

Who is Aaqib Nabi Dar?

Aaqib Nabi Dar was born on November 4, 1996 in Sheeri village of Baramulla district of North Kashmir. Known for swinging the ball both ways, he is one of the consistent performers for Jammu and Kashmir. He has 44 wickets to his name in Ranji Trophy. His record also includes taking 4 consecutive wickets. Let us tell you that in the history of Duleep Trophy, he became the first bowler to take 4 wickets in 4 consecutive balls.

aqib nabi dar record

Aaqib Ali Dar has played 34 T20 matches, in which he has 141 runs and 43 wickets in his name. He has taken 4 wickets twice. His economy in T20 is 7.74.

Apart from this, Aaqib has scored 870 runs and taken 125 wickets in 36 first class matches. Has taken 351 runs and 42 wickets in 29 List A matches. Aaqib’s base price in IPL 2026 auction is Rs 30 lakh.

224 uncapped players included in IPL 2026 auction

BCCI has released the list of shortlisted players for the IPL auction. The base price of 40 players is Rs 2 crore. There are 227 players with a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

A total of 16 capped Indian and 96 foreign capped players are included in the auction. There are 224 Indian uncapped and 14 foreign uncapped players in the list.

On which date will IPL 2026 auction take place?

December 16, 2025 (Tuesday).

Where will IPL 2026 auction take place?

Abu Dhabi.

What time will IPL 2026 auction start?

From 2:30 pm onwards.

IPL 2026 Mini Auction Update: A 5-match T20 series will be played between India and South Africa from December 9, 2025. Amidst this series, everyone is also eagerly waiting for the mini auction to be held for IPL 2026. A mini auction for the next season of IPL is going to be organized at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 16th December this month. This time 1355 players have registered themselves for the auction, out of which only a few players will be able to reach the auction table. Among them, there is one player who has set his price the highest, but he will come to play only 4 matches and that player is Australia’s wicketkeeper batsman Josh English.

IPL auction details

Recently the registration window for the auction to be held on December 16 for IPL 2026 was closed. During this period, a total of 1355 players registered their names for the auction. Under the rules of IPL, along with registration, every player also informed his base price, the price at which bidding will start on him during the auction. For the last several years, the highest base price in IPL has been Rs 2 crore and this time also more than 40 players have kept their base price at Rs 2 crore.

Josh English will come to IPL to play only 4 matches

Australian player Josh Inglis, who was released by Punjab Kings before the auction, has also registered for this mini auction and has kept his base price at Rs 2 crore. Regarding English, it has been told in the Cricbuzz report that he has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his availability for the IPL season. English has told the Indian board that he will be available only for 4 matches. Despite this, English has kept its base price at Rs 2 crore.

What is the reason for English not playing the entire IPL season?

Josh English was a part of Punjab Kings last season. He performed well for Punjab and played a big role in taking the team to the finals. Despite this, Punjab released him. However, later the reason for this was revealed that English is going to get married during the IPL season next year and in such a situation he will not be available for the entire season.

10 teams will place bids to fill a total of 77 slots in the IPL 2026 auction. Most slots are vacant in Kolkata Knight Riders, they can buy maximum 13 players (6 foreigners). Punjab Kings have the least number of slots. They can buy only 4 players. IPL auction will be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, in which money will be showered on many players. But there are also players who were once the poster boys of their teams and may remain unsold this time.

1. Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar was also in Chennai Super Kings, but he too was not retained by the franchise. 34 year old Vijay Shankar was bought by CSK for Rs 1.20 crore in the last edition.

Vijay Shankar played 6 matches for CSK in the last edition, in which he scored 118 runs. However, CSK did not make him bowl. It seems difficult to sell him in IPL 2026. If we look at his IPL career, he has played 78 matches for 4 teams (CSK, SRH, DC and GT), in which he has scored 1233 runs and taken 9 wickets.

2. Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi was in Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2022 to 2024, his price was Rs 8.50 crore. Although his salary reduced in the last edition, he got a bigger team. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 3.40 crore, but he could not leave much of an impact. As a result, CSK released him before IPL 2026.

Rahul Tripathi played 5 matches for CSK in the last edition of IPL, in which he could score only 55 runs. 34 year old Rahul Tripathi may remain unsold in the auction this time. Talking about his IPL career, he has played a total of 100 matches for 5 teams (RPS, RR, KKR, SRH and CSK) since 2017, in which he has scored 2291 runs.

3. Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma is also finding it difficult to sell in IPL 226 auction. The 37-year-old bowler was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.20 crore in the last edition, however he could not perform as per expectations. He played 8 matches for Delhi last season, but could take only 2 wickets. Now Delhi has released him, but it is difficult to sell him in the auction.

Mohit Sharma started his IPL career in 2013 while playing for CSK. Till now, he has played a total of 120 matches for 4 teams (CSK, PBKS, GT and DC), in which he has taken 134 wickets.

4. Glenn Maxwell

Australia’s explosive batsman Glenn Maxwell was criticized a lot in the last edition. Although he is a big name in the cricket world, his bat has often been silent in the IPL. Last season, there was a big decline in his IPL price, but still he was bought by Punjab Kings, but this time it seems very difficult to sell him.

In 2021, RCB bought Maxwell for Rs 14.25 crore, from 2022 to 2024 he remained in RCB with a price of Rs 11 crore, but before the last edition, RCB released him, then Punjab Kings bought him for Rs 4.20 crore. Although he could not justify even this price, he played 7 matches in 2025 and scored a total of 48 runs. Although Punjab reached the final this season, Maxwell had no contribution in it. The result was that Punjab did not keep Maxwell in the 21 retained players, now it is difficult to sell this big player.

5. Faf Du Plessis

Faf du Plessis is difficult to sell in the IPL 2026 auction, his age is also a factor in this. 41-year-old Faf has been playing IPL since 2012, he started his journey with CSK and in the last edition he was in Delhi Capitals. For Delhi in 2025, he scored a total of 202 runs in 9 matches, out of which there were 2 half-centuries. Although Delhi has released him.

Talking about his IPL career, Faf du Plessis has scored 4773 runs in 154 matches, which includes 39 half-centuries. But it seems difficult for the former South African captain to play in IPL 2026, hardly any team will bet on him.

6. Moeen Ali

England all-rounder Moeen Ali was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price (2 crores) in the last auction, although even then it seemed difficult to sell him. Now KKR has also released him, because his performance last year was not anything special. He played 6 matches in 2025, in which he took 6 wickets and scored only 5 runs in 2 innings. Now it seems difficult to sell him in the IPL 2026 auction. Age will also be a factor, Moeen Ali is 38 years old.

7. Karan Sharma

Mumbai Indians have retained 20 players, but Karn Sharma is not there. Whereas Mumbai had bought him last year for only Rs 50 lakh. Mumbai had reached the playoffs in the last edition, but Karna played only 6 matches. He bowled in 5 matches, in which he was able to take a total of 7 wickets. His economy was 8.53.

Karn Sharma may remain unsold in IPL 2026 auction. His last few seasons have not been good, while his age could also be a factor. 38-year-old Karn Sharma played 9 matches for RCB in 2024, in which he took 7 wickets but the economy was above 10 (10.58). Last season (2023), he gave away runs in 7 matches for RCB at an economy of more than 10 (10.37).

Punjab Kings are still in search of their first IPL title. In the last edition, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, the team came very close to the trophy, but was defeated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. Of course Punjab lost the final, but their team looked very balanced. This is the reason why this time they have released only 4 players, whereas they have expressed confidence in 21 players.

Punjab Kings can buy maximum 4 players in IPL 2026 auction. Let us tell you that all the teams playing IPL can have a maximum of 25 players. 2 out of 4 slots in Punjab are available for foreign players. Punjab Kings will have Rs 11.5 crore in the auction.

Punjab Kings will keep an eye on these players

Punjab Kings have released wicket-keeper batsman Josh English, so they will also be looking for a better wicket-keeper. It can buy big players like Devon Conway of New Zealand and Quinton de Kock of South Africa. Apart from this, they have also released Glenn Maxwell, so they can also bid on Andre Russell. Although Russell is in the news a lot, it is expected that many teams will bet on him, in such a situation it may be difficult for Punjab because he has only Rs 11.5 crore in his purse.

Punjab Kings can buy 2 all-rounders, 1 wicket keeper and a fast bowler in the auction. Out of these, it would like to buy a foreign wicket keeper, of which there are two big options, De Kock and Conway.

• Allrounder- Dasun Shanaka, Vijay Shankar, Wiaan Mulder, Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell.
• fast bowler- Akash Deep, Mathisha Pathirana.
• wicket keeper- Devon Conway, Quinton de Kock.

Punjab Kings Team (Retained Players)

Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Janson, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Payla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Punjab Kings released these 4

Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardy, Kuldeep Sen.

When is IPL 2026 auction?

The auction for Indian Premier League season 19 is on 16 December in Abu Dhabi. A total of 77 slots are vacant for all 10 teams, out of which 31 are slots for foreign players.

0The auction for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) will be held in Abu Dhabi on 16 December. All the teams have released their retention lists, franchises will bid for players to fill the remaining slots. All the teams have released some such players, who can get huge amount in the upcoming auction. But there are also 5 players whose IPL career can be considered over. It is difficult for any team to bet on him.

1- Faf du Plessis

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis is one of the few players who played in the IPL despite being above 40 years of age. He is now 41 years old, was playing for Delhi Capitals last season. Faf has also captained RCB.

Du Plessis started his IPL career in 2012 playing for Chennai Super Kings. He stayed in CSK till 2021, meanwhile he also played for Rising Pune Super Giants in 2016 and 2017. Now he is in the last phase of his career, he has been released by Delhi Capitals before the IPL 2026 auction. Considering his age, it can be assumed that hardly any team will bid on him.

Talking about Faf’s IPL career, he played a total of 154 matches for 4 teams, in which he scored 4773 runs at a strike rate of 135.78. He has scored 39 half-centuries in IPL.

2- Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey has been released by Kolkata Knight Riders. He became a part of this team in 2024, Pandey has been playing since the first edition of IPL. He has played for 7 teams so far, but looking at his condition in the last 2 seasons, it seems difficult for any team to bet on him.

Manish Pandey played only 3 matches in IPL 2025, in which he scored 92 runs. In 2024, he played only 1 match. In that he scored 42 runs. Manish has played 174 matches in IPL, in which he has scored 3942 runs. This includes 22 half-centuries and 1 century.

3- Karan Sharma

Mumbai Indians retained 17 players, included 3 through trade. MI released 8 players, in which the name of Karn Sharma is also included. Karna played only 6 matches in the last edition, while his team reached Qualifier-2. Now MI has released him, but he is finding it very difficult to get any other team in the auction.

Karn Sharma is 38 years old, he has been playing IPL since 2009. Karna, who debuted for RCB, has so far played for 4 teams, in which he has taken 83 wickets.

4- Mohit Sharma

Bowler Mohit Sharma’s name will also be in the IPL 2026 auction, but perhaps some team will bid on him. Mohit has been released by Delhi Capitals. Mohit Sharma, who has been playing IPL since 2013, has played a total of 120 matches for 4 teams (CSK, PBKS, GT and DC), in which he has 134 wickets in his name.

In the last edition, Mohit played 8 matches for Delhi, in which he took only 2 wickets but his economy was 10.28. In such a situation, it is difficult for them to get a new team in the IPL 2026 auction.

5- Moeen Ali

England cricketer Moeen Ali was in Kolkata Knight Riders last year, he was bought by KKR for his base price of Rs 2 crore. Although he could not do anything special, he got to play only 6 matches. He scored only 5 runs in 2 innings. He bowled in 5 matches, in which he took 6 wickets.

Moeen has been playing in IPL since 2018, he has played for a total of 3 teams (RCB, CSK and KKR). He played a total of 73 matches in IPL, in which he scored 1167 runs. He has also scored 6 half-centuries.