This year’s IPL Auction 2026 exceeded the hype of its huge-event title, bringing attention from all over the world towards Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where franchises splashed out over the sum of Rs650 crore for 236 players over two tense days. The dynamics of the purse this year changed drastically, with a huge limit of Rs120 crore per team, a change from previous years. This led to record auctions and strategically RTM (Right to Match) match-ups. When the dust has settled we’ll look at the top players who were sold, the budget spending and which teams were auction winners and set the stage for a massive IPL in 2026.
IPL Auction 2026: Blockbuster Player Sales That Shook the Cricket World
The first day of the IPL Auction 2026 was a paradise for batters that featured explosive openers as well as all-rounders attracting high prices. Travis Head from Australia’s Travis Head, fresh off his ODI World Cup heroics, became the auction’s most valuable jewel at the auction’s highest price by SunRisers Hyderabad for a staggering Rs18.50 crore, the highest price ever. The bold re-signing of the SRH’s Abhishek Sharma was rewarded after they had the ability to beat Chennai Super Kings’ Rs16 crore bid and secured their imposing openers.
Indian superstar Yashasvi Jaiswal started the bidding battle, and finally, Mumbai Indians for Rs15.75 crore. MI’s clever move ensured the strength of their top team and also put Jaiswal along with Rohit Sharma to form the perfect team. Rishabh Pant, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman, returned to Delhi Capitals for Rs14.2 crore after a heated RTM battle with Rajasthan Royals. Pant’s vast potential for the middle order will make the DC investment an easy one.
Pacers were the main draw during day two. The South African’s Kagiso Rabada joined forces to play Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs13.8 crore, which helped boost their death-over arsenal, along with Mitchell Starc. India’s hottest rising superstar Mayank Yadav, known for his speedy 150kmph thunderbolts was a Royal Challengers player who travelled to Bengaluru to the tune of Rs12.1 crore. The RCB bid was to address their bowling issues. Uncapped star Priyansh Arya , who was the Delhi opener who scored 100 off just 33 balls during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, sparked a frenzy. Lucknow Super Giants snapped him up for Rs11.5 crore, showing confidence in India’s emerging talent.
Spin expert Rashid Khan returned to Gujarat Titans for Rs10.75 crore. India’s Washington Sunder found a home with Punjab Kings for Rs9.8 crore. Twenty players hit the mark of Rs10 crore and international stars like Glenn Maxwell (Rs12.5 crore to CSK) and local legends such as Shubman Gill (retained by GT but with a price of an equivalent of Rs14 crore) making headlines.
Budget Spends in IPL Auction 2026: Who Spent Big and Who Played Smart?
The total spend was Rs652.3 crore which is averaging Rs81.5 crore per team, leaving only minimal budgets for tweaks to mid-season. SunRisers Hyderabad led the spendthrift group with Rs118.7 crore (98 percent of their cap) Prioritizing the depth of their batting by investing in Head, Ishan Kishan (Rs11.25 crore) as well as Nitish Reddy (Rs8.2 crore). Their all-in approach makes them the title however it leaves the team with little flexibility.
Mumbai Indians clocked Rs109.4 crore due to balancing stars like Jaiswal and Hardik Pandya (retained captain) along with bowlers such as Trent Boult (Rs10.75 crore). RCB shocked with their budget-friendly cleverness and splurged Rs92.6 crore and secured Mayank Yadav, Phil Salt (Rs9.8 crore) as well as Liam Livingstone (Rs8.5 crore) while keeping Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar. They have Rs27.4 crore to cover emergencies which is a good plan to prevent injuries.
Punjab Kings emerged as the most intelligent operator at Rs88.2 crore (73 percent of it invested) and affluently acquiring all-rounders such as Sundar, Marcus Stoinis (Rs9.2 crore) as well as Azmatullah Omarzai (Rs7.1 crore). They also retained Shikhar Dhawan, and Arshdeep Singh at a bargain, and saved Rs31.8 crore. Contrarily, Rajasthan Royals conserved at Rs85.9 crore and bet on young players like Dhruv Jurel or Sameer Rizvi in addition to Pant’s firepower.
CSK as well as Delhi Capitals hovered around Rs95-100 crore and the CSK’s Maxwell incident along with DC’s Pant reunion, highlighting the calculated risks. The bottom-spent players, like Chennai’s rivals and the combative Gujarat Titans at Rs84.3 crore, focussed on spin-heavy reloads after retentions.
Winning Teams of IPL Auction 2026: Power Rankings Post-Auction
SRH won the coveted podium, with a fierce line-up of batting players: Head, Abhishek, Heinrich Klaasen (retained)–backed by Pat Cummins’ leadership. The nearly-full-purse expenditure of their team screams victory after the finals loss of 2025.
Mumbai Indians place second in the second spot, mixing the youth (Jaiswal) with the experience (Pandya, Boult). The reason RCB finished third is bowling reinforcements that could help end their trophy drought. Mayank Yadav’s under Kohli’s tutelage is delicious.
Punjab Kings snag fourth for cheap prices and KKR’s pace of Rabada-Starc storm places them as fifth. DC’s Pant return propels them to sixth place, however RR and LSG’s youthful bets (7th and eighth) have risks. CSK (9th) as well as GT (10th) slow down because of their reliance on old cores.
It was clear that the IPL auction 2026 was not just about money. It revolutionized team building during the T20 period. With the number of uncapped Indians growing and the power of overseas assured it is expected that rivalries will rage by the end of March 2026. For bettors, SRH and MI offer the best value for early odds, including track lines as mini-auctions are in the works.