ABU DHABI: Australian all-rounder Cameron Green created history at the IPL 2026 mega auction on Tuesday, becoming the most expensive overseas player ever after being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 25.20 crore in a fierce bidding war at Abu Dhabi.
Having missed out on Green, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went all out to get two uncapped Indian youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. Each of them cost an incredible Rs 14.2 crore, becoming the joint most expensive uncapped players in IPL history. Both had base prices of just Rs 30 lakh.
Green is now the third-most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League. He will, however, not pocket the full amount as a cap of Rs 18 crore has been set on the amount a foreign player can earn in a mini auction. The remaining amount will go into the BCCI coffers.
The auction opened with strong interest in the 25-year-old Green, as Rajasthan Royals and KKR initially locked horns. Rajasthan pulled out at around ₹13 crore before (CSK entered the contest and drove the price well past the ₹20 crore mark. CSK made a final bid of ₹25 crore, but KKR edged ahead with a ₹25.20 crore offer to seal the deal.
With this bid, Green surpassed the previous record for an overseas player held by Mitchell Starc, who was bought for ₹24.75 crore by KKR at the IPL 2024 auction. Green’s price is also a world-record amount for any overseas player in a franchise-based T20 competition.
In the IPL, Green represented Mumbai Indians in 2023 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024. Across the two seasons, he scored 707 runs in 29 matches at an impressive average of 41.58 and a strike rate in excess of 153, including one century and two fifties, and picked up 16 wickets. He did not take part in last season’s auction due to injury.
CSK will be hoping that the 20-year-old Prashant Veer from Uttar Pradesh slots in smoothly for Ravindra Jadeja who has been traded to the Rajasthan Royals. Veer is an all-rounder in the same mould, bowling left-arm spin and being a reliable batter as well. CSK is the second Super Kings franchise he will be part of after playing for the Noida Super Kings in the UP T20 league.
The other record uncapped player Kartik Sharma, who plays for Rajasthan in domestic cricket, is a wicket-keeper who impressed with his big hitting in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year. CSK watched the 19-year-old at close quarters last season, when he trained with the squad, and were eager to get him back.
Another uncapped Indian who went for big bucks was Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi. The 29-year-old, who is capable both with the new ball and in the death overs, was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore.
The most expensive capped Indian player at the auction was leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi who entered the auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. Rajasthan Royals opened the bidding before Chennai Super Kings joined in at ₹2.20 crore.
The two teams pushed the price past ₹4 crore, with CSK briefly dropping out at ₹4.40 crore before returning with a ₹4.60 crore bid. Rajasthan responded with ₹4.80 crore.
CSK, despite having the bigger purse, pulled out when the bidding reached ₹6 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad then entered the fray at ₹6.20 crore, but Rajasthan continued to raise the paddle, snapping him up for ₹7.20 crore.
Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by KKR ahead of the auction, will take a massive pay cut in IPL 2026 where he will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Iyer was bought for Rs 23.75 crore in the last mega auction but had a poor run in IPL 2025. KKR bid for him again this time but dropped out when RCB raised the price to Rs 7 crore.
Another ex-India player who got a payday well above his base price was leggie Rahul Chahar. CSK and Punjab Kings fought it out for the 26-year-old who was ultimately bagged by the former for Rs 5.2 crore. He will be the second member of his family to play for CSK after cousin Deepak Chahar.
A few other former India players were sold at their base price. Pacer Akash Deep, who starred with a match-winning ten-wicket haul in the Edgbaston Test earlier this year, was bought by KKR for Rs 1 crore. It will be a homecoming for him as he plays for West Bengal in domestic cricket.
One more former India player Sarfaraz Khan went unsold initially before being picked up by CSK later in the day at his base price of Rs 75 lakh. He will be returning to the IPL after a three-year hiatus, having played before for RCB, PBKS and DC. Sarfaraz was in great touch during the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He amassed 329 runs in seven matches at an average of 65.08 and a strike rate of over 203, with three half-centuries.
Like Sarfaraz, Prithvi Shaw was also bought at his base price of Rs 75 lakh after finding no takers earlier. In fact, he went unsold twice before his former team Delhi Capitals decided to pick him up. Shaw, who had gone unsold last season, enjoyed a decent run in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 183 runs in seven matches for Maharashtra at an average of 26.14 and a strike rate above 160, including two fifties.
KKR, which had the highest purse at the auction, also splashed big on Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. The 22-year-old was the second most expensive player at this auction, being snapped up for Rs 18 crore after KKR fought off stiff competition from Lucknow Super Giants.
Among overseas players, the most expensive after Green and Pathirana was England batsman Liam Livingstone who went for a hefty Rs 13 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A flurry of activity also followed when Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rehman's name was announced. Like Green, the pursuit for him was between CSK and KKR, with the latter taking the bid to Rs 9.2 crore at which point CSK decided to call it quits.
Aussie wicket-keeper and batsman Josh Inglis was not expected to be sold, given that he will be available for just four matches in IPL 2026. He went unsold initially but surprisingly attracted interest from two franchises later in the day when his name was floated again. SRH and LSG both sought to get him, with the latter finally bagging him for Rs 8.6 crore.
CSK was also interested in acquiring the services of 34-year-old West Indies pacer Jason Holder who is the highest wicket-taker in T20s this year. This time the competition was with Gujarat Titans, which eventually got him when CSK dropped out after the price reached Rs 7 crore.
CSK, which had the second highest purse, had sealed their first purchase earlier in the day when they bought West Indian Akeal Hosein at his base price of Rs 2 crore. The left arm spinner has previously played for two other Super Kings franchises -- Joburg Super Kings and Texas Super Kings.
South African veteran middle-order batter David Miller was picked up by Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of ₹2 crore. Miller has scored 2,612 runs in 132 T20 Internationals for South Africa at an average of 33.06 and a strike rate above 140, including two centuries and eight half-centuries. Overall, he has 11,497 runs in 539 T20 matches at an average of 35.05, with four centuries and 50 fifties.
In the IPL, the left-hander has accumulated 3,077 runs in 141 matches for Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants at an average of 35.77 and a strike rate above 138, with one century and 13 fifties.
However, his last season with LSG was underwhelming, as he managed just 153 runs in 11 innings at an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of over 127, with a best score of 27 not out.
Of the 369 players who went under the hammer during the day, some prominent names went unsold. Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who represented Delhi Capitals for two seasons and endured a poor last season with only 55 runs in six innings, failed to attract a bid.
New Zealand opener Devon Conway, a CSK mainstay for three seasons and part of their title-winning squad in 2023, also went unsold. Conway had a disappointing 2025 season, scoring 169 runs in six innings at an average of 26.00 and a strike rate of over 131, with two half-centuries.
His New Zealand and CSK teammate Rachin Ravindra, however, was more fortunate, being picked up by KKR at his base price of Rs 2 crore.