With the IPL 2026 mini-auction scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi, all 10 franchises have locked in their retention, release and trade decisions. The picture is now clear — and it shows a massive gap in spending power across teams.
Kolkata Knight Riders head into the auction with a huge financial advantage, while Mumbai Indians are at the opposite end of the spectrum with a bare minimum purse. As teams get ready to battle it out for the remaining talent pool, strategies will sharply differ depending on budget flexibility and squad gaps.
KKR Go Big on Overhaul, Carry Heaviest Purse
Kolkata Knight Riders will walk into the auction room with a whopping Rs 64.30 crore, the highest among all franchises. The defending champions have 13 slots to fill, also the most in the league, signaling a major rebuild.
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KKR chose to retain a strong Indian core including Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana. However, the franchise made bold calls by releasing big-ticket names such as Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock and Venkatesh Iyer.
With money and slots on their side, KKR are expected to dominate bidding and reshape their squad aggressively.
CSK Restructure Squad, Still Comfortable on Budget
Chennai Super Kings have Rs 43.40 crore remaining and plenty of flexibility heading into the auction. MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube remain central to the squad, while CSK pulled off a high-profile trade to bring in Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals.
To make space, CSK released several established players including Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana. The moves indicate a clear shift towards refreshing the squad while retaining leadership stability.
MI Back Continuity, Left With Lowest Purse
Mumbai Indians have taken the continuity route — and paid the price in terms of purse size. MI will enter the auction with just Rs 2.75 crore, the lowest among all teams.
The franchise retained their star-studded core featuring Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult and Will Jacks. They also added depth through trades, bringing in Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande.
Several overseas names were released, but with limited funds, MI’s auction strategy will revolve around base-price buys and smart backups.
RCB, PBKS Make Surprise Calls
Royal Challengers Bengaluru freed up space by releasing Liam Livingstone and Mayank Agarwal, but retained pacer Yash Dayal despite off-field controversies. RCB now have Rs 16.40 crore, giving them moderate room to plug key gaps.
Punjab Kings, last season’s runners-up, made some of the most surprising releases, parting ways with Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie. PBKS will enter the auction with Rs 11.50 crore, likely targeting specific roles rather than marquee signings.
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Full IPL 2026 Purse Remaining After Retentions
Here’s the complete breakdown of remaining budgets:
- Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs 64.30 crore
- Chennai Super Kings: Rs 43.40 crore
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rs 25.50 crore
- Lucknow Super Giants: Rs 22.95 crore
- Delhi Capitals: Rs 21.80 crore
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rs 16.40 crore
- Rajasthan Royals: Rs 16.05 crore
- Gujarat Titans: Rs 12.90 crore
- Punjab Kings: Rs 11.50 crore
- Mumbai Indians: Rs 2.75 crore
What This Means for the Auction
With such uneven purses, the IPL 2026 mini-auction is expected to be highly tactical rather than chaotic. KKR and CSK can afford bidding wars, while MI and PBKS will need precision picks. Teams with mid-range budgets like DC, LSG and SRH could play spoilers by driving up prices.
All eyes will be on Abu Dhabi on December 16 as franchises look to complete their squads — and possibly redefine the balance of power ahead of IPL 2026.
