To begin with, the participant list for the 2026 mini auction has been drastically reduced. The BCCI has taken off 1,005 players from the 1,355 players’ original list, thus reducing the number of players to be auctioned to 350 only. In addition, the final list also contains 35 surprise entries of players who were not on the original registration but were added later because of the requests made by the franchises.
IPL 2026 Auction: Who Is The Star Player Staging Surprise Comeback?
One of the most recently mentioned players among surprise entries is Quinton de Kock. The South African wicket keeper batter who had previously announced a break from international cricket was added to the auction list after a franchise proposed his name. He is set a base price of ₹1 crore, which is much lower than the ₹2 crore he had at the last mega auction when he was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders. Among the players, there were also some international and local players from Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Afghanistan, as well as a few who come from different Indian domestic leagues.
When Is IPL 2026 Auction Taking Place?
December 16, 2025, is the date earmarked for the auction which will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi starting at 1 PM local time (2:30 PM IST). The auction will commence with the bidding of capped players, organized by role (batters, all rounders, wicket keeper batters, pacers, spinners) and thereafter the uncapped players will be bid in the same order. Given that there are only 77 slots across franchises, the competition for the 350 shortlisted players is going to be really high.
