Cameron Green Becomes Costliest Overseas Buy in IPL 2026
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
- Dec 16, 2025
- 595
The IPL 2026 mini auction concluded in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, witnessing intense bidding as franchises strengthened their squads ahead of the new season, scheduled to begin on March 26. A total of 156 players went under the hammer, with ten teams spending ₹215.45 crore to acquire 77 players, including 48 Indians and 29 overseas cricketers.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green created history by becoming the most expensive foreign player ever in the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured his services for ₹25.20 crore, surpassing the previous overseas record held by Mitchell Starc, who was bought for ₹24.75 crore in 2024. In the overall IPL auction history, Rishabh Pant remains the most expensive player at ₹27 crore, followed by Shreyas Iyer at ₹26.75 crore.
However, under BCCI regulations introduced last year, Green will receive only ₹18 crore, with the remaining ₹7.20 crore being credited to the BCCI’s welfare fund. The cap on foreign players’ salaries was implemented to prevent disproportionate earnings driven by excessive demand.
Indian youngsters emerged as major highlights of the auction. Prashant Veer (20) and Karthik Sharma (19) were snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for ₹14.20 crore each—nearly 47 times their base price of ₹30 lakh. CSK spent a combined ₹28.40 crore on the two, making them the most expensive Indian players of the season. Prashant hails from Uttar Pradesh, while Karthik represents Rajasthan. Meanwhile, Aqib Nabi Dar from Jammu and Kashmir joined Delhi Capitals for ₹8.40 crore.
KKR showed strong interest in fast bowlers, acquiring Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana for ₹18 crore and Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore. Among spinners, Ravi Bishnoi was bought by Rajasthan Royals for ₹7.20 crore, while Venkatesh Iyer moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹7 crore. Notably, KKR had earlier purchased Venkatesh Iyer for ₹23.75 crore in the 2024 mega auction.
Several prominent names went unsold despite being listed twice. These included 2023 final hero Devon Conway, Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana, and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Other notable unsold players were Australia’s Jack Fraser-McGurk, West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, and South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee.
With squads largely finalized, teams now turn their focus to preparations for what promises to be another high-octane IPL season.