NEW DELHI: Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer, and Matheesha Pathirana are among the 45 players who have entered the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction with the highest base price of Rs 2 crore, as per ESPNcricinfo.
In all, 1,355 players have registered for the auction, and shared with the franchises on Monday after registrations closed on November 30. With each franchise allowed a maximum squad of 25, and 77 slots are available this year, including 31 for overseas players.
The IPL will trim this list after receiving the wishlists from all ten teams. Franchises have been given time until December 5 to submit their shortlist, ahead of the day-long auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
Among the Indian players, specialists in key roles could attract big bids, but the spotlight is firmly on Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who had skipped the 2025 mega-auction due to a back injury. Teams expected to show strong interest include Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) (Rs 64.3 crore purse) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (Rs 43.4 crore), both having healthy budgets.
KKR, in particular, could aggressively pursue Green, especially after the recent IPL retirement of West Indies T20 legend Andre Russell. Green’s versatility, he can bat anywhere in the order, bowl seam-ups, and contribute heavily in the field, makes him one of the most sought-after names this year.
KKR released nine players, including Venkatesh Iyer, who cost them a massive Rs 23.5 crore at last year’s mega-auction. They now have 12 slots to fill, including six overseas. CSK, the five-time champions, have nine vacancies, four of which are for overseas players.
Several players released ahead of this auction have chosen the top price bracket of Rs 2 crore. This includes Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, whom CSK had retained for Rs 13 crore last year but released after his struggles with injury, despite his value as a death-overs specialist.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for Rs 8.75 crore, also finds himself back in the pool after an underwhelming season.
Among Indian players, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have both listed themselves at the Rs 2 crore base price. Bishnoi, retained by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 11 crore last year, was let go after spending four seasons with the franchise.
A notable omission from the long list is Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Punjab Kings (PBKS) had picked him up for Rs 4.2 crore last season, but Maxwell, now 37, fractured his finger midway through the 2025 campaign and was replaced by fellow Australian allrounder Mitchell Owen, who has been retained.
Another surprise entry back in the auction is PBKS’ wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who played a key role in their run to the final. However, the IPL notified that he would only be available for 25% of the 2026 season due to personal reasons.
The players under Rs 2 crore base price are Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Sean Abott, Ashton Agar, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Steve Smith, Mustafizur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Liam Livingstone, Tymal Mills, Jamie Smith, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryll Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Gerald Coetzee, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Roussouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Wiese, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mateesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, and Alzarri Joseph. (ANI)
