The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is slated to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. While the auction is an annual affair, there are several aspects unique to each bidding war which makes the event different from all its previous editions.
Previously, there was some debate as to how the overseas players go on to become the costliest buys at the auction table of a league branded the “Indian” league. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came in with a new rule known as the “maximum fee rule” which was implemented before the 2025 edition of the competition.
Franchises also believed that in the absence of such a rule, a few overseas players were strategically registering themselves only for mini-auctions to secure higher salary in the auction.
What is the maximum fee rule- the reason why no overseas player can fetch over 18 crore
While there are several big names that will be up for auction, no foreign player will be able to go for a sum in excess of Rs 18 crore. This is because of a new BCCI Maximum fee rule which puts a cap on the maximum bid that an overseas player can get. As per this new mandate, the maximum fee an overseas player can get is the lower value between the highest retention slab (Rs 18 crore) and the highest price at the last mega auction (in this case Rishabh Pant’s 27 crore).
Due to this rule, no overseas player will be able to fetch a sum beyond Rs 18 crore at the auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
No marquee set for IPL 2026 auction
As it is not the mega auction, there is no marquee set for the IPL 2026 auction. The bidding war will begin with a set of capped batters. The likes of Cameron Green (who has registered as a batter), Prithvi Shaw, Sarafaraz Khan, David Miller, Devon Conway and Jake Fraser-McGurk, all of whom capable of attracting lucrative bids, are all part of this list.
How many players have registered for the auction?
As many as 1355 players had registered for the auction but the shortlist only contains 359 names. The breakdown is- 244 Indians and 115 overseas. As many as 40 players have registered themselves at the base price of 2 crore. Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are the only Indians that have set themselves a base price of Rs 2 crore.
There may be a total of 359 choices available to the ten franchises but the maximum slots available are 77, including 31 for overseas players. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the most number of purchases to do, with a maximum of 13 slots available to them. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are second on this list with 10 vacant places in the squad.