IPL 2026 auction: BCCI trims list to 350 players, Malayali cricketers make the cut

ABU DHABI: Ahead of the IPL’s 19th-season mega auction, the BCCI has trimmed the list of players taking part. Out of 1,355 names, 1,005 players were removed. The final list now has 350 players. Among them, 230 are Indians and 130 are overseas players. The auction will take place on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

A heated bidding battle is expected for top-value players, experienced names and promising youngsters. Reports say that the ten franchises will be able to pick a total of 77 players through the auction. From domestic cricket, players such as Aaron George, Vishnu Solanki, Parikshit Valsangkar and Sadek Hussain are among the 20 players added in the final round.

One of the most talked-about names is South Africa’s senior wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock. He was included in the list following a special request from a franchise. De Kock, who recently reversed his retirement from international cricket, is in great form after scoring a century against India.

After being released by Kolkata Knight Riders last season, de Kock will enter the auction this time at his base price of Rs 1 crore. Several new overseas players have also made the final list. Sri Lanka’s Traveen Mathew, Binura Fernando, Kusal Perera, Dunith Wellalage, Afghanistan’s Arab Gul, and West Indies’ Akeem Auguste are among the other names included.

Forty players have been listed at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore. Only two Indians are in this group- Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi. Devon Conway, Cameron Green, David Miller, and Liam Livingstone are the other big overseas names in this bracket. No Indian players are listed at the base prices of Rs 1.5 crore or Rs 1.25 crore. Among Indians with a Rs 1 crore base price are Aakash Deep, Rahul Chahar and Umesh Yadav.

In the category of players who have not played international cricket, there are 224 Indians and 14 overseas players. Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Mavi, K.S. Bharat, and Kerala player Sandeep Warrier are among those in this group, with a base price of RS 75 lakh. Malayali players K.M. Asif and former Kerala cricketer Jalaj Saxena have a base price of Rs 40 lakh. Vighnesh Puthur and Akhil Skaria are also part of the auction with a base price of ₹30 lakh. Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won the title three times, have the highest purse remaining- Rs 64.3 crore.