Mumbai: The IPL 2026 auction landscape has taken a dramatic turn. In a major reshuffle, the BCCI has trimmed down the massive 1355-player registration pool by removing 1005 names, leaving only 350 contenders cleared for the mini auction scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 16 in Abu Dhabi. The overhaul has sparked intense buzz, especially with 35 unexpected new entries now joining the final list.
Quinton de Kock Returns—With a Surprise Twist
One of the most eye-catching updates is the comeback of South African star Quinton de Kock, who was missing from the initial list. Fresh off a century in the final ODI against India and returning briefly from retirement, de Kock has significantly slashed his base price to ₹1 crore—down by 50% from last season. Earlier bought by KKR for ₹2 crore, he was released after a disappointing campaign but now enters the mini auction as a renewed prospect.
New International Faces Strengthen the Pool
The revised list features several fresh international names, adding excitement to the auction dynamics. Among the new entrants are:
- Sri Lanka: Dunith Wellalage, Binura Fernando, Kusal Perera, Traveen Mathew
- South Africa: George Linde, Connor Eztherhuizen, Bayanda Majola
- West Indies: Akeem Auguste
- Afghanistan: Arab Gul
- England: Miles Hammond, Dan Lategan
These additions introduce a diverse mix of power-hitters, emerging all-rounders, and specialist bowlers.
Auction Format and Star Categories
Following BCCI protocol, capped players have been grouped by core roles—batters, all-rounders, wicketkeeper-batters, pacers, and spinners. Uncapped players follow the same sequence.
Notable entrants in the prime BA1 (Batters Group 1) include:
- Cameron Green
- Devon Conway
- Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Prithvi Shaw
- David Miller
In the all-rounders section, Venkatesh Iyer headlines the AL1 category.
Sources suggest the expedited section of the auction will begin after the 70th player, accelerating team strategies as franchises hunt last-minute bargains.
Fresh Indian Talents Make Their Debut
A sizeable set of uncapped Indian players have also been newly added, further enriching the mini auction pipeline. The list includes:
Sadek Hussain, Aaron George, Jikku Bright, Srihari Nair, Madhav Bajaj, Shreevathsa Acharya, Yashraj Punja, Sahil Parakh, Roshan Waghsare, Yash Dicholkar, Ayaz Khan, Dhurmil Matkar, Naman Pushpak, Parikshit Valsangkar, Purav Agarwal, Rishabh Chouhan, Sagar Solanki, Izaz Sawariya, and Aman Shekawat.
A High-Stakes Auction Awaits
With the removal of over a thousand names but the addition of surprising new entrants—including former IPL regulars and rising international prospects—the IPL 2026 mini auction promises unpredictability and fierce bidding wars. Franchises will now recalibrate their strategies as they navigate a tightly curated talent pool.
All eyes are set on December 16, as Abu Dhabi hosts what could turn out to be one of the most competitive mini auctions in recent IPL history.
