Mallika Sagar led the IPL 2025 auction in Abu Dhabi as franchises spent Rs 215.45 crore, including record bids for uncapped players. Photos: X.
IPL Auctioneer Mallika Sagar: The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction concluded on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, with Mallika Sagar once again at the helm. Sagar, the first-ever female auctioneer in IPL history, led the event for the fourth consecutive time.
Mallika Sagar was born in 1975 in Mumbai. She holds a degree in Art History from Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia. Her journey into auctioneering began in her mid-20s, inspired by a book featuring a senior auctioneer. At the age of 26, she became Christie’s first Indian woman auctioneer in New York, specialising in modern and contemporary Indian art.
Sagar’s professional career began at Sotheby’s London in 2001, where she developed expertise in Indian and South Asian art. She later returned to Mumbai, collaborating with prestigious institutions like Pundole’s Art Gallery.
Also Read: IPL 2026 Auction: 5 Players Who Have Played Every Season Ahead Of IPL 2026
Sagar transitioned to sports auctions in 2021. She became the first woman to conduct the Pro Kabaddi League auction.
Following this, she was appointed as the first auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Her success in the WPL led to her inclusion as a standby auctioneer during the IPL 2022 auction. Her major breakthrough came during the 2023 IPL auction after veteran auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed.
Since then, Sagar has conducted multiple high-profile auctions, including the IPL 2024 mini-auction, the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, and the WPL 2026 auction.
The IPL 2025 auction saw the 10 franchises spend a total of Rs 215.45 crore on 77 players, including 29 overseas stars.
Australia’s Cameron Green was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore.
The most shocking buys, however, were uncapped Indian players, including Prashant Veer (CSK) and Kartik Sharma (CSK), who were purchased for Rs 14.20 crore each, the highest salaries ever for uncapped players in IPL history.
Aquib Dar (DC) went for Rs 8.40 crore, and Mangesh Yadav (RCB) for Rs 5.20 crore.
Other prominent IPL buys included Matheesha Pathirana (KKR, Rs 18 crore), Liam Livingstone (SRH, Rs 13 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (KKR, Rs 9.20 crore), Josh Inglis (LSG, Rs 8.60 crore), Ravi Bishnoi (RR, Rs 7.20 crore) and Venkatesh Iyer (RCB, Rs 7 crore).
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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