IPL 2026 auction: 1,300-plus players register; Glenn Maxwell misses out
What's the story
A whopping 1,355 players have registered for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. Among the big names missing from the list is Glenn Maxwell. The Australian all-rounder, who was released by Punjab Kings, withdrew from the tournament due to an injury. Cameron Green, Matthew Short, and Steve Smith are the prominent names among Australians on the list.
Indian representation
Indian players with high base price
Only two Indian players, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi, have registered for the mini-auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. Both were released by their franchises last month. Other prominent Indian players who will be hoping to find a franchise include Umesh Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, and Sarfaraz Khan. Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda are also looking for teams after being released.
Player registration
Cameron Green leads the list of registered players
Cameron Green, the Australian all-rounder, is among 43 overseas players who have registered with a base price of ₹2 crore. Other notable names are Jamie Smith, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Sean Abbott, Aston Agar, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis, and Mustafizur Rahman. Overall, the overseas players are from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Scotland, and the USA.
Missing players
Notable absentees from the auction list
Glenn Maxwell, one of the match-winners in the IPL, is a notable absentee from this year's auction list. Other marquee absentees are Faf du Plessis, Andre Russell, and Moeen Ali. Russell was released by Kolkata Knight Riders, ending the decade-long association. The star Caribbean all-rounder has signed up with the Knight Riders as a 'power coach' for IPL 2026.
Auction budget
KKR have the biggest purse
After the retention deadline on November 15, all 10 IPL franchises have a total of ₹237.55 crore to spend at the auction. The Knight Riders will enter the auction with the biggest purse worth ₹64.30 crore. Chennai Super Kings follow with a purse of ₹43.40 crore available for spending. As many as 173 players have been retained so far, including 49 overseas players. This leaves an open pool of 77 slots for teams to fill during the auction.