IPL mini-auction to be held in Abu Dhabi, date announced
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. This will be the third consecutive year that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is holding the auction outside India. The first overseas IPL auction was held in Dubai for the 2024 season. The two-day mega auction for the 2025 season was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last November.
Auction preparations
Teams busy finalizing their lists of retained and released players
As the IPL 2026 mini-auction approaches, teams are busy finalizing their lists of retained and released players. They have until November 15 to submit these lists to the BCCI. After this deadline, a list of players available for bidding in the mini-auction will be released by the board. The auction itself will be a one-day event, with franchises looking to strengthen their squads ahead of the new season.
Trade details
Four trades confirmed so far
The trading window, which opened after the 2025 season, will remain open until a week before the auction. It will then resume until a month prior to IPL's start date in 2026. So far, four trades have been confirmed among five teams. The most high-profile trade saw Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquire Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Pre-auction acquisitions
Pre-auction signings and Arjun Tendulkar's move
Mumbai Indians (MI) have also made two pre-auction signings. They acquired India all-rounder Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹2 crore and Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹2.60 crore. In a separate trade, LSG acquired Arjun Tendulkar at his base price of ₹30 lakh from MI. The tentative window for IPL 2026 is March 15 to May 31.