Most Expensive Indian Players in IPL 2026 Auction: Full Price List
The IPL 2026 auction produced a story nobody had predicted. It was not an established India star or a famous overseas name who stole the headlines among Indian players. It was two uncapped youngsters, both starting at a base price of just Rs 30 lakh, who walked away with Rs 14.20 crore each and rewrote the record books. This is the full price list of the most expensive Indian players in the IPL 2026 auction, with the stories behind every big bid.
The IPL 2026 mini-auction was held on 16 December 2025 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. A total of 77 players, including 29 overseas players, were sold, and franchises spent Rs 215.45 crore in a single day. The biggest bid of the auction went to Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who joined Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore and became the costliest overseas player in IPL history, passing Mitchell Starc’s Rs 24.75 crore. But the Indian section of the auction told its own remarkable story, and it was dominated by youth.
The Headline Numbers
Before the Indian names, the overall picture sets the scale. After Green’s Rs 25.20 crore, Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana joined KKR for Rs 18 crore, and England all-rounder Liam Livingstone went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13 crore. Then came the two names that defined the day: Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, both to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14.20 crore each.
That figure matters because it smashed the previous record for an uncapped Indian player at an IPL auction. The old record was Rs 10 crore, paid by Lucknow Super Giants for fast bowler Avesh Khan in 2022. In one afternoon, CSK broke it twice, and both players had started the bidding at Rs 30 lakh. For context, the most expensive player in IPL history remains Rishabh Pant at Rs 27 crore, followed by Shreyas Iyer at Rs 26.75 crore, both from the 2025 mega auction. Green, at Rs 25.20 crore, sits third on that all-time list.
Prashant Veer: Rs 14.20 Crore to Chennai Super Kings
Prashant Veer, a 20-year-old left-arm spin all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, was the first record-breaker of the day. At the time of the auction he had played only nine domestic T20 matches, but his performances in the UPT20 League, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Uttar Pradesh’s Under-23 fixtures had earned him trials with CSK, and the franchise clearly liked what it saw.
The bidding war told its own story. It began between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, then became a battle between CSK and LSG, before Rajasthan Royals and finally Sunrisers Hyderabad joined in. When the hammer fell, CSK had paid Rs 14.20 crore, nearly 47 times Veer’s base price, for a player with single-digit domestic T20 appearances. It was a bet on the future: a left-arm spinner who can bat in the middle order is one of the rarest and most valuable profiles in Indian domestic cricket, and CSK moved before anyone else could develop him.
Kartik Sharma: Rs 14.20 Crore to Chennai Super Kings
CSK were not finished. From the very next set of uncapped wicketkeepers, they went aggressively after Kartik Sharma, a 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan, and paid exactly the same price: Rs 14.20 crore, again from a base price of Rs 30 lakh. Kartik had built his reputation on power hitting, including 28 sixes in 12 T20 matches, and his bidding war featured a fierce fight with KKR before CSK closed the deal.
Together, the two signings cost CSK Rs 28.40 crore, an extraordinary commitment to two teenagers in a single auction. The logic was the same in both cases: in a league where only four overseas players can play in a side, Indian talent is the real constraint, and franchises that identify the next generation early pay less than those who wait until the players are proven. CSK’s history of developing young Indian players made the gamble easier to understand, even at record prices.
Auqib Nabi Dar: Rs 8.40 Crore to Delhi Capitals
The third most expensive Indian buy was another uncapped player. Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi Dar went to Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.40 crore, again from a base price of Rs 30 lakh. Nabi had stood out in the Ranji Trophy with sharp pace and control, and his auction sparked a competitive bidding war involving multiple franchises before DC sealed the deal.
Nabi’s price completed a striking pattern: the three most expensive Indian buys of the auction were all uncapped players, and all three started at Rs 30 lakh. It was the clearest possible signal that IPL scouting networks now value domestic potential almost as highly as proven performance, and that franchises are willing to pay crore-level prices for players the wider public has barely heard of.
Ravi Bishnoi: Rs 7.20 Crore to Rajasthan Royals
The most expensive capped Indian buy was leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who joined Rajasthan Royals for Rs 7.20 crore. Bishnoi’s journey to that bid explains a lot about auction dynamics. He had been retained by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 11 crore the previous year, but LSG let him go, and he entered the auction with the highest base price bracket of Rs 2 crore. RR, CSK and SRH all showed interest before RR won him, and they secured a proven IPL wicket-taker with leg-spin variations at a price well below his previous retention value.
For RR, it was classic auction value buying: a bowler with a long IPL record, still young, available only because his previous franchise chose a different direction. Bishnoi’s case also showed the other side of the auction: established Indian players can move for less than their old price, while unknown youngsters can go for far more than anyone expected.
Venkatesh Iyer: Rs 7 Crore to Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 7 crore, completing the top five Indian buys. Like Bishnoi, Venkatesh entered the auction with the highest base price of Rs 2 crore after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders, who had previously bought him for Rs 23.75 crore. His bidding battle involved LSG, Gujarat Titans, RCB and KKR, and RCB won a versatile match-winner known for powerful hitting and useful medium-pace bowling.
Venkatesh’s price drop from Rs 23.75 crore to Rs 7 crore was one of the auction’s talking points, but it said more about KKR’s squad planning than about the player. For RCB, who went on to win IPL 2026, it proved to be one of the smartest buys of the auction: a proven Indian all-rounder at less than a third of his previous price.
The Next Tier of Indian Buys
Below the top five, the Indian list stayed strong. Royal Challengers Bengaluru paid Rs 5.20 crore for 23-year-old pace all-rounder Mangesh Yadav, another uncapped player who crossed the Rs 5 crore mark. Chennai Super Kings paid the same Rs 5.20 crore for experienced leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, adding proven spin depth alongside their two record youngsters.
Kolkata Knight Riders paid Rs 3 crore for wicketkeeper Tejasvi Dahiya, while Lucknow Super Giants picked up wicketkeeper Mukul Choudhary for Rs 2.60 crore and batter Akshat Raghuwanshi for Rs 2.20 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad paid Rs 1.50 crore for wicketkeeper Salil Arora, and LSG added fast bowler Naman Tiwari for Rs 1 crore. In total, nine uncapped Indians crossed the Rs 1 crore mark, a depth of domestic spending the auction had never seen before.
Why Franchises Paid Record Money for Uncapped Indians
The pattern of the IPL 2026 auction was not an accident. With only four overseas slots in a playing XI, every franchise’s season depends on its Indian core, and the supply of proven Indian match-winners is limited. Franchises have therefore built serious scouting systems around domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and state T20 leagues, and they now trust those systems enough to bid crore-level money on players with a handful of domestic games behind them.
There is also a timing factor. The 2025-27 cycle ends with the 2028 mega auction, so a young player bought in 2026 gives his franchise two seasons of development before the reset. CSK’s double record bid was the boldest expression of that logic: pay now for the players you believe will be stars by the time the cycle ends, rather than competing for them later at even higher prices.
Full Top 10 Indian Buys at IPL 2026 Auction
Prashant Veer topped the Indian list alongside Kartik Sharma at Rs 14.20 crore each, both to Chennai Super Kings. Auqib Nabi Dar followed at Rs 8.40 crore to Delhi Capitals, then Ravi Bishnoi at Rs 7.20 crore to Rajasthan Royals and Venkatesh Iyer at Rs 7 crore to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Mangesh Yadav and Rahul Chahar shared the next spot at Rs 5.20 crore each, to RCB and CSK respectively. Tejasvi Dahiya went to KKR for Rs 3 crore, Mukul Choudhary to LSG for Rs 2.60 crore, and Akshat Raghuwanshi to LSG for Rs 2.20 crore. Salil Arora and Naman Tiwari completed the crore club at Rs 1.50 crore and Rs 1 crore.
It is worth noting how the season ended for the biggest spenders. Chennai Super Kings, despite their record investment in youth, finished eighth on the points table in IPL 2026, while RCB’s value buys helped them to the title. Auction prices, as ever, are promises, not results, and the 2026 season proved that once again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the most expensive Indian player in IPL 2026 auction? Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma jointly topped the Indian list, both bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14.20 crore each. Both were uncapped players with a base price of Rs 30 lakh, making them the most expensive uncapped Indians in IPL auction history.
Who was the most expensive player overall in IPL 2026 auction? Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore. He became the costliest overseas player in IPL history, passing Mitchell Starc’s Rs 24.75 crore.
When and where was the IPL 2026 auction held? The mini-auction took place on 16 December 2025 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. A total of 77 players, including 29 overseas players, were sold for Rs 215.45 crore.
How much did CSK spend on uncapped players? CSK spent Rs 28.40 crore on just two uncapped players: Rs 14.20 crore each for Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, both record bids for uncapped Indians.
What is the next IPL auction? The IPL 2027 mini-auction is reported for 16 December 2026 in Goa, with the retention deadline on 15 November 2026. The schedule page on this site will update with confirmed details as soon as the BCCI announces them.
Conclusion
The IPL 2026 auction will be remembered as the day uncapped Indian players became crorepati stars overnight. Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, at Rs 14.20 crore each, did not just top the Indian price list. They changed what franchises are willing to pay for potential, and they set the standard every young domestic player will now be judged against. Whether those bets pay off will be decided over the next two seasons, but the prices themselves already tell the story of where the IPL is heading: younger, more Indian, and more expensive than ever.
