The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday widened the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction pool by 2026 to 369 players, after adding 19 names to the list of finalist just 24 hours from the mini-auction that will take place at Abu Dhabi. The addition of 19 players is a result of representations from franchises, as well as recent evaluations of international and domestic talent.
It is expected that the IPL 2026 auction scheduled for 2026 will be held on December 16, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi which will be the second auction in the world of the IPL. The ten franchises will be scheduled to take part as they try to fill any remaining slots prior to the 19th edition of the tournament.
Auction Pool Late Expansion
The initial auction list included 350 participants chosen from a record of nearly 1,300 people who signed up in the event of auction. In addition to 19 players and 19 players, the total number of bidders is at 369.
According to people who are familiar with the process, additional names were added after teams made requests for players that were not included in the initial shortlist. The BCCI then analyzed these requests and voted to expand the scope of the list, making sure all franchises were aware prior to the auction.
The addition of this feature adds more dimension to auctions. Especially for franchises with certain skill sets in order to fill their rosters.
A Complete List of Players has been Included with Base Prices
The BCCI also announced pricing for the base price of the 19 new players. This list comprises Indian domestic cricketers as well as international players with international experience.
The players who are added on the IPL 2026 auction list are:
- Manisankar Murasingh – Rs. 30 lakh
- Swastik Chikara – Rs. 30 lakh
- Ethan Bosch – Rs. 75 lakh
- Virandeep Singh – Rs. 30 lakh
- Chama Milind – Rs. 30 lakh
- K.L. Shrijith – Rs. 30 lakh
- Rahul Raj Namala – Rs. 30 lakh
- Chris Green – Rs. 75 lakh
- Virat Singh – Rs. 30 lakh
- Abhimanyu Easwaran – Rs. 30 lakh
- Tripuresh Singh – Rs. 30 lakh
- Kyle Verreynne – Rs. 1.25 crore
- Blessing Muzarabani – Rs. 75 lakh
- Ben Sears – Rs. 1.50 crore
- Rajesh Mohanty – Rs. 30 lakh
- Swastik Samal – Rs. 30 lakh
- Saransh Jain – Rs. 30 lakh
- Sooraj Sangaraju – Rs. 30 lakh
- Tanmay Agarwal – Rs. 30 lakh
In the group of overseas players, New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears enters the auction with the highest price of the price of Rs. 1.50 crore. He is next is South African wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne at 1.25 crore. 1.25 crore.
The composition of the Auction Pool
The updated list shows that the auction pool is now comprised of cap international players and non-capped Indian cricketers, as well as new overseas talents. The majority of these added players are priced at the starting cost of Rs. 30 lakh, which makes them available to franchises that have limited funds.
The auction pool that is final includes players across all categoriesbatsmen, fast bowlers spinners, all-rounders, spinners as well as wicketkeepers. This gives teams the flexibility to approach their bidding.
Teams and slots available
77 spots are available in all ten franchises ahead of the auction. This includes 31 slots reserved for foreign players. In accordance with IPL rules every franchise is allowed to field a team that consists of between 18 and 25 players, and the maximum number of overseas cricketers.
The number of slots available and the amount of money left over for each team to. Certain franchises have substantial budgets and have multiple slots to fill, whereas others have a limited amount of options and must concentrate on cheaper or players with no cap.
The team’s management is required to balance their budget between buying established players and identifying the best value in the new players.
The Auction Structure, Order and the Purchase
In accordance with the normal IPL auction rules the players will be displayed in a specific order. The auction will start with batters who are capped, followed by all-rounders who are capped as well as wicketkeepers, fast-bowlers and spinners. The uncapped players will be added at the end during the auction.
The structure permits franchises to prepare their bidding strategies ahead of time while still being able to adapt to the manner in which auctions take place.
Strategic Effects of the Late Additions
The addition of 19 more players in the last few days has brought new challenges to franchise strategy. Teams that had already formulated their shortlists had to revisit their strategies, in particular considering the presence of foreign players who can fill specific imbalances in the squad balance.
Some players, such as Abhimanyu Easwaran who has proven to be a reliable performer in cricket at home, and experienced international cricketers such as Chris Green and Blessing Muzarabani might be attracting interest based on the requirements of the team and budgets.
Preparedness Ahead of Auction Day
The auction is set to start on the 1st of April in Abu Dhabi, franchises have finished their internal discussions as well as analyses based on analytics. Scouts and analysts are looking over recent performance as well as fitness and requirements for specific roles in preparation for entering the bidding arena.
This year’s IPL 2026 auction likely to attract a lot of attention as teams try to build competitive teams for the forthcoming season. The increased player pool providing a greater options hours before the auction starts.
