The IPL 2026 mini auction is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, with 359 shortlisted players set to go under the hammer as franchises look to fine-tune their squads for the upcoming season.

This will be the third consecutive year that the IPL auction is being held outside India. All 10 teams will enter the auction to strengthen key areas and compete to fill a maximum of 77 available slots. Each franchise can build a squad of up to 25 players.

Ahead of the auction, the ten teams have already retained a total of 173 players, including 49 overseas cricketers.

The remaining player pool features 246 Indian players and 113 overseas players. Of the 359 registered cricketers, 114 are capped, while the majority of the pool is made up of 230 uncapped Indian players and 15 uncapped overseas players.

The auction list includes players from 11 countries in total, with India forming the largest contingent. Among the notable names placed in the highest base price bracket are Australia’s Cameron Green and Steve Smith, South Africa’s David Miller and Quinton de Kock, and India’s Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi. In all, 37 players feature in the top base price category.

Several big international stars will not be part of the 2026 auction, with Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis opting to skip the tournament. Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh stands out as the only associate-nation cricketer in the registered list.

Franchises will have a combined purse of Rs 237.55 crore to spend at the auction. Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders enter the auction with the biggest remaining budget of Rs 64.3 crore and have 13 slots to fill, including six overseas positions.

Breakdown of IPL 2026 Auction Registered Players

  • Capped Indians: 16
  • Capped Overseas: 98
  • Uncapped Indians: 230
  • Uncapped Overseas: 14
  • Associate Players: 1

Country-Wise Players in IPL 2026 Auction

  • England: 21
  • Australia: 20
  • New Zealand: 16
  • South Africa: 16
  • Sri Lanka: 12
  • Afghanistan: 10
  • West Indies: 9
  • Bangladesh: 7
  • Ireland: 1
  • Malaysia: 1