The countdown is on for the Indian Premier League mini-auction, with 1,355 players have officially registered for the December 16 event in Abu Dhabi. The one-day auction promises to be a high-stakes affair, with both seasoned professionals and emerging talent vying for spots in the 2026 season.
Leading the pack of Indian aspirants are established names such as Mayank Agarwal, KS Bharat, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Mavi, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldeep Sen, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi, Sandeep Warrier, and Umesh Yadav, among several others.
The player list, accessed by Cricbuzz entries spread across 13 pages of meticulously organised details. The roster also features prominent international stars, with England, Australia, and South Africa well represented. Australians Cameron Green, Matthew Short, and Steve Smith headline the group from Down Under, all looking to secure contracts that could influence team compositions across the league.
Among the international entrants is Josh Inglis, whose availability for the season remains uncertain due to wedding plans. Despite potential scheduling conflicts, Inglis has chosen to register, keeping his options open for a return to the IPL circuit.
KKR and CSK to dominate the IPL mini-auction
In the meantime, BCCI is expected to release the list with all the base prices soon. Two-time IPL winner, Kolkata Knight Riders, currently have the biggest purse available, having released several of their key players, including Venkatesh and Andre Russell. The latter, however, have decided to retire from the marquee competition and will serve the franchise as its power coach.
Behind KKR, Chennai Super Kings have the second-largest purse. They have released several of their Indian cricketers, including Tripathi, Hooda and Vijay Shankar. The five-time champions also released Matheesha Pathirana, who they can try to get back in the mini-auction.
Notably, veteran Australia international, Steve Smith, who went unsold in the auction for a couple of times, have once again registered for the competition, with the hope to get back to the Australian T20I side, as he wants to feature in the Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles.
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