IPL 2026: Ranking teams based on their picks at auction
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction concluded in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The 10 teams went for 29 foreign players and 48 Indians. Out of these 48 Indians, only nine capped players got lucky. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged as the biggest spenders in this year's auction, having entered with a purse of ₹64.30 crore, allowing them to make major additions to their roster. Here we rate the teams based on their picks.
DC
DC do an able job, get 9/10 rating
DC went the smart way and got valuable acquisitions. Among notable mentions, they roped in Pathum Nissanka (₹4 crore), Ben Duckett (₹2 crore) and Prithvi Shaw (₹75 lakh) to stabilize the top order. Pacers Lungi Ngidi (₹2 crore) and Kyle Jamieson (₹2 crore) come in to add the depth in pace. David Miller (₹2 crore) was a strong addition in the middle order. Notably, they spent heavily on J&K's pace senation Auqib Nabi (₹8.4 crore).
KKR
KKR's strategic moves mean they get rating of 9/10
Notably, KKR entered the auction with the most purse available. And they got things right, addressing players of need. They replaced Andre Russell with Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore. They also got two quality foreign pacers in Matheesha Pathirana (₹18 crore) and Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.20 crore). They roped in three wicket-keeping options in Finn Allen (₹2 crore), Tim Seifert (₹1.50 cr), and Tejasvi Singh (₹3 crore). They got in more batting cushion in Rachin Ravindra (₹2 crore) and Rahul Tripathi (₹75 lakh). Pacer Akash Deep (₹1 crore) and spinner Prashant Solanki (₹30 lakh) provide cover in bowling.
CSK
Chennai Super Kings get a strong 9 rating
Chennai Super Kings entered the auction with a purse of ₹43.4 crore. Rather than going for veterans, CSK shifted in their strategy and spent big on uncapped Indians and a couple of seasoned stars. Uncapped Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma arrived for ₹14.20 crore each. Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh) and Rahul Chahar (₹5.2 crore) seem fine additions in batting and spin departments. Among foreign stars, spinner Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore) lends voice. Batter Matthew Short (₹1.5 crore) is experienced. Pacers Matt Henry (₹2 crore) and Zak Foulkes (₹75 lakh) were steals.
RCB
Champions RCB get a rating of 8/10
Champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought 8 players. Already having a settled side, RCB focused on depth in key areas. The two most notable arrivals were Mangesh Yadav (₹5.20 crore) and Venkatesh Iyer (₹7 crore). Yadav, who was seen in the MP T20 League, made his professional debut in SMAT for Madhya Pradesh. He is an interesting prospect and RCB backed his talent. Iyer, who was released by KKR, saw RCB go all out for him. They trust Iyer to add stability. Another notable incoming was pacer Jacob Duffy (₹2 crore).
MI, GT
MI and GT get 7/10 ratings
MI traded in some key players ahead of the auction and the rest of the players were entrusted upon to do the job. MI came in with a budget of just ₹2.75 crore. They didn't need to do anything fancy. MI roped in Quinton de Kock for his base price with the rest of the acquisitions being young uncapped names. GT had a budget of ₹12.90 crore. They added quality foreign backups such as Tom Banton (₹2 crore), Jason Holder (₹7 crore) and Luke Wood (₹75 lakh).
PBKS
PBKS rope in two smart signings, get 7/10 rating
Punjab Kings came in with a sum of ₹11.50 crore. The IPL 2025 finalists had little to do and they acted smartly by getting in able backups. Two foreign recruits in the form of Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.40 crore) and Cooper Connolly (₹3 crore) come in as good signings. Meanwhile, they got in two uncapped players.
RR
RR get a 6/10 rating
The Rajasthan Royals traded in all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of the auction. They also let Sanju Samson go to CSK. What they did well was to get Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.20 crore. They get a two-man Indian spin attack which bodes well. In pace department, Adam Milne seems a crucial backup. He arrived for ₹2.40 crore. However, the Royals failed to replace Samson with an able batter. 7 of their arrivals this season are uncapped players.
LSG
LSG get 4/10 rating
Lucknow Super Giants failed to impress. They got Josh Inglis for a staggering ₹8.6 crore and interestingly, he will be available for only 4 games. In Anrich Nortje, they get an injury-prone pacer. Akshat Raghuwanshi (₹2.2 crore) and Mukul Choudhary (₹2.6 crore) are uncapped players they invested in alongside Naman Tiwari (₹1 crore). Wanindu Hasaranga looks like their only sound arrival. He comes for ₹2 crore.
SRH
SRH miss out in addressing areas, get 4/10 rating
Despite trying to be ambitious, Sunrisers Hyderabad's auction seemed pretty bizarre as they failed to address key areas. Despite needing to bolster their pace attack, the Orange Army couldn't live up to expectations. Shivam Mavi, who has been highly injury-prone, came for ₹75 lakh. They took a risk and spent heavily on Liam Livingstone, spending ₹13 crore. He will bolster the middle order. All-rounder Jack Edwards was also snapped up as a back-up. The rest of the picks are all uncapped players.