IPL 2026 Auction Set for December 16 in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi:

The stage is set for another landmark moment in the Indian Premier League, with the 2026 IPL auction scheduled to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. This will mark the third consecutive year that the auction is being hosted outside India, underlining the league’s growing global footprint. The 2024 auction was held in Dubai, while the two-day mega event for the 2025 season took place in Jeddah in November last year.

Unlike the mega auctions, which stretch across two days, the upcoming 2026 edition will follow the mini-auction format and wrap up within a single day. Franchises have been given a deadline of 3 PM IST on November 15 to submit their list of retained and released players from the previous season. Once those lists are confirmed, the IPL governing council will circulate a comprehensive pool of registered players for teams to shortlist, leading to the final auction lineup.

The trading window, which opened shortly after the conclusion of IPL 2025, will remain active until a week before the Abu Dhabi event. It will then reopen after the auction and continue until a month before the 2026 season begins. However, as per the rules, players bought at the upcoming auction cannot be traded in this window.

The trade deals so far

In the build-up to the auction, several significant trades have already reshaped the balance of a few teams. Among them, the blockbuster swap involving Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals has created major buzz. Chennai have reportedly secured the services of India’s star keeper-batter Sanju Samson, while Rajasthan received the seasoned all-rounder duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, a deal many are calling the most high-profile player exchange in IPL history.

Mumbai Indians, too, have been active in the trade market, completing two all-cash deals. The five-time champions roped in India’s pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 crore and West Indies power-hitter Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans for INR 2.6 crore. In a separate trade, Mumbai sent young left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar to Lucknow for his base price of INR 30 lakh.

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