The BCCI has officially announced that the IPL 2026 mini auction will be held on 16 December at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. All 10 franchises have submitted their retained and released player lists, clearing the way for a thrilling auction next month.
Teams will have a combined purse of ₹237.55 crore, with 77 slots open—31 for overseas players. Leading the pack, Kolkata Knight Riders (₹64.30 crore) and Chennai Super Kings (₹43.40 crore) enter the auction with the strongest budgets, while Mumbai Indians have the lowest purse at ₹2.75 crore.
KKR, having released big names like Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, and Moeen Ali, are set for a major rebuild with 13 slots available. Their retained core includes Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, and others.
CSK have also made bold decisions, releasing Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran, and Matheesha Pathirana, and are expected to focus heavily on strengthening their bowling attack.
With top players back in the pool and teams gearing up with varied purse strengths, the IPL 2026 mini auction promises high drama and fierce bidding when the hammer falls on December 16.
