IPL 2026: Which players were sold for the highest fees in the 2026 auction for cricket's biggest franchise league

The Indian Premier League is gearing up for another blockbuster season of action in 2026, and the franchise has been spending big to prepare for the league’s start in March.

Abu Dhabi played host to the auction, which saw an accumulative ₹215.45 cr spent across the league. The equivalent of just under £18m. 

This year, it would appear many of the teams are focusing on the future as a total of 32 players under the age of 25 were bought at the auction, with 29 of these being Indian. 

IPL teams can only field four overseas players in their playing squad, so investing in promising young Indians is a sound strategy for the franchise.

That's not to say that overseas players weren't sought after, with 29 being sold for a total of around £10.5m.

Many top internationals did, however, remain unsold, with Jonny Bairstow, Steve Smith, Jamie Smith and Devon Conway all without an IPL home.

So, who were the players who sold for the biggest money at this year's auction? Sports News Blitz writer Joseph Ould takes a look.

5 - Liam Livingston (£1.085m to Sunrisers Hyderabad)

English all-rounder Liam Livingston fetched the fifth-highest price of this year's IPL auction, as Sunrisers Hyderabad secured his services.

Livingstone will likely slide into the middle order for SRH, with his mixture of leg spin and off spin bowling, hoping to deceive batters of the opposition.

Now an experienced IPL campaigner, Livingstone will also bring a lot of know-how to his new team, having already played in six different IPL seasons.

The Lancashire native will be hoping he can recapture the form he showed in the 2022 IPL, in which he averaged over 36 with the bat at an incredible strike rate of 182.08. 

4 - Prashant Veer (£1.221m to Chennai Super Kings)

A relative unknown on the big stage, Prashant Veer will make his IPL debut in 2026.

Veer is a bowling all-rounder who has been impressing in the Indian T20 domestic league. So much so that the Chennai Super Kings made him one of the most expensive players at this year's auction.

The left-arm orthodox bowler averages 16.66 with the ball in T20 whilst having an impressive bowling economy of 6.45.

At only 20 years old, Veer is certainly a shrewd acquisition, and CSK will be hoping he can be with them for many years to come.

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3 - Kartik Sharma (£1.221m to Chennai Super Kings)

Youth certainly seems to be the aim for the Super Kings as 19-year-old Kartik Sharma joins Veer in Chennai and will also be making his IPL debut in next year's tournament.

The name Sharma carries a lot of expectations in the IPL, with both Ishant and Rohit Sharma being legends of Indian cricket.

If Kartik Sharma can deliver anywhere near the level of his namesakes, he will be a huge success. 

The wicket-keeper batter is an explosive big hitter, able to quickly take the game away from the opposition.

Like Veer, Sharma will be hoping to be a part of the Chennai furniture for a long time.

2 - Mathessha Pathirana (£1.5m to Kolkata Knight Riders)

Sri Lankan Mathessha Pathirana was the second biggest acquisition at this year’s auction, joining Kolkata Knight Riders.

Still only 23 years old, Pathirana has already got 32 IPL matches under his belt, taking 47 wickets at an average of 21.62 for Chennai Super Kings.

Pathirana missed most of last year's campaign through injury, so he will be eager to get back on the big stage and show what he can do.

Now a KKR player, the right-arm fast bowler will lead the bowling attack for the three-time IPL champions.

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1 - Cameron Green (£2.1m to Kolkata Knight Riders)

Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas purchase of all time at this year’s auction as Kolkata Knight Riders won the bidding war with CSK and Rajasthan Royals for the Aussie’s services.

All-rounders always tend to be incredibly desirable at the auction, as shown in previous years when Sam Curran and Ben Stokes were sold for the highest price across the league, and this year proved no different, as Green became the third most expensive IPL player ever.

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer are the only two players who have ever sold for a higher price than Green.

At 26, Green has played for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 16 wickets and scoring 707 runs in his 29 IPL games.

KKR will be hoping the injuries that have plagued the last year and a half of Green’s career are firmly in the past, and the Australian can contribute with both bat and ball.

Knight Rider fans will be awaiting the 2026 season eagerly as their side have spent big in the hopes of securing a fourth IPL title.

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