The cricketing world is closely following the IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates, as all ten IPL franchises prepare for one of the most crucial mini auctions in recent years. Scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, the IPL 2026 auction promises intense bidding wars, strategic buys, and last-minute surprises. With the IPL 2026 season expected to begin in the second half of March, teams are focused on filling key gaps and strengthening their squads within the limited auction framework.
This mini auction will see 77 available slots across ten teams, with a combined spending capacity of ₹237.55 crore. Due to the squad limit of 25 players, franchises are expected to be extremely selective, targeting specialist T20 players, especially fast bowlers, death-over experts, and versatile all-rounders.
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IPL Auction 2026 Date, Time and Venue
According to official IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates, the auction will begin at 2:30 PM IST on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. All franchises have completed their retention processes and entered the auction with clearly defined strategies.
The overseas venue once again adds global attention to the event, with fans eagerly tracking every bid and squad update.
Total Purse and Auction Dynamics
The IPL 2026 auction is expected to be highly competitive due to the uneven distribution of purses among teams. While some franchises have retained their core players and entered with limited funds, others have massive budgets that could dictate the flow of the auction.
A maximum of ₹237.55 crore is available collectively, but the real spotlight will be on teams with larger purses, as they have the power to trigger bidding wars and influence market prices.
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KKR and CSK Hold the Key to IPL Auction 2026
One of the biggest talking points in the IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates is Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) entering the auction with a massive ₹64.3 crore purse, the highest ever for a team in a mini auction. KKR’s spending power is expected to play a decisive role in how bidding unfolds.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are another franchise with a strong budget of ₹43.4 crore. Known for their smart auction strategies and experience-driven approach, CSK could emerge as one of the most influential teams at the table.
Full List of Players Retained by IPL Teams (2026)
Below is a team-wise breakdown of retained players, as per the latest IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Retained Players
CSK have focused on experience mixed with youth:
MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
Delhi Capitals (DC) Retained Players
Delhi have retained a balanced squad with strong bowling depth:
Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mukesh Kumar
Gujarat Titans (GT) Retained Players
GT have held on to their championship core:
Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore, B Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Nishant Sindhu, Arshad Khan, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Kumar Kushagra
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Retained Players
KKR enter the auction with limited retentions and maximum flexibility:
Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ajinkya Rahane, Rovman Powell, Umran Malik, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Retained Players
LSG have focused on star power and pace depth:
Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul? (already DC) → retained players include
Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akash Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Manimaran Siddharth, Arjun Tendulkar, Prince Yadav, Digvijay Rathi, Arshin Kulkarni
Mumbai Indians (MI) Retained Players
MI have retained their strong core, leaving little purse:
Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Mayank Markande, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Ashwani Kumar, AM Ghazanfar, Corbin Bosch
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Retained Players
PBKS have gone heavy on all-rounders and bowlers:
Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vishnu Vinod, Xavier Bartlett, Shashank Singh, Yash Thakur, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Retained Players
RR continue their youth-centric approach:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Retained Players
RCB have built around their batting core:
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Suyash Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Jacob Bethell
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Retained Players
SRH have retained a powerful bowling-batting balance:
Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, R Smaran, Zeeshan Ansari
Remaining Purse of All IPL Teams (2026)
As per IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates, remaining purses are:
- Kolkata Knight Riders – ₹64.3 crore
- Chennai Super Kings – ₹43.4 crore
- Sunrisers Hyderabad – ₹25.5 crore
- Lucknow Super Giants – ₹22.95 crore
- Delhi Capitals – ₹21.8 crore
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru – ₹16.4 crore
- Rajasthan Royals – ₹16.05 crore
- Gujarat Titans – ₹12.9 crore
- Punjab Kings – ₹11.5 crore
- Mumbai Indians – ₹2.75 crore
What to Expect from IPL Auction 2026
The IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates suggest that franchises will aggressively target:
- Death-over fast bowlers
- Impact all-rounders
- Overseas power hitters
- Backup Indian pacers
With limited slots and high competition, prices for quality T20 specialists are expected to soar.
Final Thoughts
The IPL Auction 2026 Live Updates indicate a high-stakes mini auction that could reshape team combinations ahead of the new season. With teams like KKR and CSK holding massive purses, the bidding dynamics are expected to be intense and unpredictable.
Fans can expect dramatic moments, surprise buys, and smart strategies as franchises prepare for IPL 2026. The auction in Abu Dhabi is not just about buying players—it is about building championship-winning teams.