Who Are Prashant Veer And Kartik Sharma? MS Dhoni’s CSK Goes Big On Young Uncapped Players As They Get Sold For Rs. 14.20 Crore Each During IPL 2026 Auction

The IPL 2026 mini-auction turned into a dream come true for a bunch of young, mostly unknown players who’ve been hustling hard in the domestic leagues.

Kartik Sharma from Rajasthan was one of those guys; suddenly, everyone was talking about him after his massive IPL deal. Chennai Super Kings, who’ve won the trophy five times, dropped a jaw-dropping Rs 14.2 crore to bring Sharma into their squad.

But the real headline? Prashant Veer. MS Dhoni’s IPL team CSK picked him up for the same amount, Rs 14.20 crore. With that, Veer’s now officially the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history, smashing the old record Avesh Khan set back in 2022 when he went for Rs 10 crore. 

A lot of teams wanted Veer. Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians kicked things off, with Veer’s base price set at just Rs 30 lakh. MI tapped out early, but CSK jumped right in. Rajasthan Royals showed some interest too, and then Sunrisers Hyderabad joined the fight. The bidding war heated up fast, blowing past the Rs 10 crore mark and Avesh’s old record.

By the time the bid hit Rs 14 crore, it was just CSK and Sunrisers going toe-to-toe. Sunrisers finally blinked and pulled out at Rs 14.20 crore, and that’s where CSK sealed the deal. Veer’s in yellow now, and it’s safe to say everyone’s watching what he does next.

Who is Prashant Veer?

Prashant Veer’s one of those cricketers who just catches your eye. He’s a 20-year-old left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, and honestly, he’s been turning heads in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season.

With nine wickets in seven innings, he’s shown he can make things happen with the ball, but he’s no slouch with the bat either. Picture this: an unbeaten 40 off 26 balls against Bihar, and in the opener, he smashed 37 off just 10 balls against J&K. Not bad at all.

People started talking about him when he played for Noida Super Kings in the UP T20 League, and he just built on that momentum in the SMAT.

CSK clearly noticed, they called him in for trials, took a good look, and decided he’s worth the investment. With Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran traded to the Rajasthan Royals for Sanju Samson, Veer looks like CSK’s plan for the future.

Who is Kartik Sharma? 

Kartik Sharma made quite a splash at the auction. He started with a base price of ₹30 lakh, but things escalated fast—Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders both wanted him, then CSK jumped in, and suddenly the price shot past ₹10 crore.

Just when it seemed CSK had him, Sunrisers Hyderabad threw in a late bid. In the end, CSK stuck it out and picked him up for a whopping ₹14.2 crore.

He’s a right-handed batter, and he’s also sharp behind the stumps, one of those new-generation players who just seem to have it all. Sharma showed what he’s made of right from the start, hitting a century on debut for Rajasthan against Uttarakhand in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. He didn’t stop there.

He finished as Rajasthan’s top scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy that season, racking up 445 runs in nine games.

He’s kept that form going. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 133 runs in five innings, and before that, he hammered centuries in the Ranji Trophy against both Delhi and Mumbai. Sharma’s got talent, and he’s already making some serious noise in the domestic circuit.

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