Kolkata Knight Riders splashed the cash as they spent a record breaking Rs 25.20 crore to sign all-rounder Cameron Green, while paying a staggering Rs 18 crore to hire Sri Lanka's pace ace Matheesha Pathirana at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Chennai Super Kings stunned everyone by backing young uncapped duo Prashant Verma and Kartik Verma with identical Rs 14.20 crore deals.
Liam Livingstone got a lifeline after a disappointing season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru last year with a massive Rs 13 crore deal.
And the day witnessed a fairytale moment for Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar, who was signed by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore.
The 10 most expensive players at the IPL 2026 auction:
Cameron Green (Rs 25.20 crore)
KKR, who are in rebuilding mode, shattered records to get Cameron Green in a massive Rs 25.20 crore deal.
The 26-year-old all-rounder surpassed fellow Australian Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to command the highest price by an overseas player at an IPL auction.
Green, who had a base price of 2 crore, sparked an instant bidding war starting with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
KKR and CSK later jumped in with an all-out bidding war to bag Green before the former signed up the Aussie.
KKR were desperate to add an all-rounder to replace their long-serving star Andre Russell, who ended his IPL playing career and joined the team as 'power coach' for the next season.
Overall, Green, who has played for MI and RCB in the past, has featured in 29 IPL matches, scoring 707 runs and picking up 16 wickets.
Green will only pocket Rs 18 crore from the winning bid; the rest of the amount will go towards the BCCI's player development programme as per the rules of the auction for foreign players (please click here for details).
Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore)
KKR continued their spending spree with a hefty Rs 18 crore bid to sign up Matheesha Pathirana.
Pathirana played for CSK in the last four seasons, taking 47 wickets from 32 games, but was surprisingly released ahead of the IPL auction. In fact, CSK didn't even make a single bid for the fast bowler during the auction.
Starting at a base price of Rs 75 lakh, Pathirana was at the centre of an intense bidding war between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. KKR made a late entry with a Rs 16 crore bid but LSG didn't back down.
Eventually, KKR made most of their huge auction purse as they secured the Sri Lankan pacer for Rs 18 crore.
Prashant Veer (Rs 14.2 crore)
Uttar Pradesh spin all-rounder Prashant Veer became the joint most expensive uncapped in IPL history when he was signed by CSK for Rs 14.20 crore.
Later, CSK matched the same amount for teenaged Rajasthan wicket-keeper-batter Kartik Sharma.
Pacer Avesh Khan held the previous record for most expensive uncapped Indian player when he was signed by LSG for Rs 10 crores in IPL 2022.
It turned out to be a life-changing day for Veer, who came into the auction at a base price of Rs 30 lakh. The 20-year-old left-arm spin all-rounder is touted as the replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who moved to Rajasthan Royals in the trade window.
Veer caught the attention of IPL teams with his exploits in the UPT20 league, smashing 320 runs at a strike rate of 155, while picking up eight wickets across 10 matches.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Veer scored 112 runs at a strike rate of 169.69 and claimed nine wickets at an economy of 6.76.
CSK faced tough competition from Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad as the trio were involved in a thrilling never-seen-before battle for an uncapped player but it was the five-time IPL champions who emerged triumphant in the end.
Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.2 crore)
Kartik Sharma also turned heads with a whopping Rs 14.20 crore from CSK.
Sharma has shown his prowess as a big six-hitter and has amassed 334 runs in 12 T20 matches at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes.
Kartik, 19, caught the IPL franchise's attention with his big-hitting in this season's Ranji Trophy. He is the joint-highest six hitter in the Ranji Trophy with 16 sixes from five matches, while he hit 11 in five games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
As many as four franchises including MI, LSG, KKR and CSK battled hard to get the youngster into their ranks.
CSK sealed the deal at Rs 13 crore as KKR pulled out of the bidding race. SRH made a surprise late entry at Rs 13.20 crore pushing the price further.
But CSK managed to have the last laugh as they bought Kartik for Rs 14.20 crore.
Liam Livingstone (Rs 13 crore)
England's power-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone laughed his way to the bank with a huge Rs 13 crore deal from SRH despite a below-par performance last season which saw getting him released by RCB.
The auction turned out to be a thrilling ride for Livingstone. He went unsold when his name first came up but the second time around he was at the centre of a fierce bidding war between SRH and LSG.
The 32 year old is one of the most sought-after players in T20 leagues around the world, having played 330 matches in his T20 career, piling up 7496 runs at a strike rate of 144.93.
He would be a welcome addition to SRH's already power-packed batting line-up.
What boosted his demand was his smashing performance in The Hundred this season, when he had smashed ace spinner Rashid Khan for 26 runs in five balls -- 4, 6, 6, 6, 4 -- en route to an entertaining 69 runs from 27 deliveries.
Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 9.2 crore)
Mustafizur Rahman secured a big pay day when KKR signed him for Rs 9.20 crore, the most expensive Bangladesh player in IPL history.
Fizz, who started with a base price of Rs 2 crore, saw a keen tussle between Delhi Capitals and CSK. KKR's late entry pushed the price higher as they warded off CSK to hire the 30-year-old pacer.
The left-arm pacer's IPL experience could prove vital for KKR, having played for SRH, MI, RR, CSK and DC in the past.
He did well for Delhi Capitals in the ILT20 in the UAE, taking six wickets in four games. Overall, he has played 308 T20 matches, picking up 387 wickets at an economy rate of 7.43.
Josh Inglis (Rs 8.6 crore)
The Australian wicket-keeper-batter was bought by LSG for Rs 8.6 crore despite being released by Punjab Kings due to his limited availability next season.
He is likely to be available for only four matches but LSG didn't hold back when they aggressively outbid competitors to buy him.
LSG already have two dashing wicket-keeper-batters in their squad: Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran.
What made Inglis a hot property at the auction was his superb showing with the bat for Punjab Kings last season when he smashed 278 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 162.57.
Auqib Nabi Dar (Rs 8 crore)
Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi Dar enjoyed the most memorable day of his career when he bagged a massive deal -- Rs 8.40 crore -- at the IPL auction.
The 29 year old will play for Delhi Capitals in his maiden IPL season next year.
Dar was rewarded for consistent performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Ranji Trophy this season. He claimed 15 wickets in seven matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an economy rate of 7.41 where his effective bowling in the death overs came to the fore, while bagging 29 wickets in five matches in the first half of the Ranji Trophy.
Dar, who started with a base price of Rs 30 lakh, saw hectic bidding from Delhi Capitals and SRH before the former signed up the experienced fast bowler.
Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 7.2 crore)
The leg-spinner was the first player to be bought by the Rajasthan Royals at this auction for Rs 7.20 crore.
Royals outbid CSK and SRH as Bishnoi saw hectic bidding for his services. He will form a formidable spin partnership with Ravindra Jadeja at the Royals.
Bishnoi, 25, was retained by LSG ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction for Rs 11 crore but after managing just nine wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 10.83, he was released by LSG following a four-year stint.
Overall, in his IPL career, Bishnoi has picked up 72 wickets in 77 games at an economy rate of 8.21, having earlier represented Punjab Kings in his first two seasons.
He has also fared well for India in T20Is, taking 61 wickets in 42 matches at an economy rate of 7.35, and last featured against England in February this year.
Jason Holder (Rs 7 crore)
The West Indian experienced all-rounder was signed for Rs 7 crore by Gujarat Titans, who otherwise had a quiet auction.
Overall, in the IPL, Holder has picked up 53 wickets in 46 matches having played for five teams including CSK, SRH, KKR, LSG and RR.
It was a welcome return for the 34-year-old fast bowler, who had gone unsold in the last two IPL auctions.
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