Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season will run from March 26 to May 31, though uncertainty remains over whether Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will host the tournament opener at their home ground.

As defending champions of IPL 2025, RCB are entitled to stage the opening match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

However, the venue has only received conditional clearance from Karnataka government and must comply with enhanced safety measures following a tragic stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations earlier this year, which claimed 11 lives.

Meanwhile, IPL 2026 mini-auction is being held today in Abu Dhabi, with Kolkata Knight Riders, three-time champions, entering the auction with the biggest purse.

Date: Tuesday, December 16

Time: 2:30 PM IST

Venue: Etihad Stadium, Abu Dhabi

All 10 franchises will compete to sign up to 77 players, with a combined purse of ₹237.55 crore. The Mumbai Indians, however, have limited spending power with just ₹2.75 crore remaining and are expected to focus on low-cost, uncapped players.

IPL 2026 auction is a crucial mini-auction set to take place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Format: It is a mini-auction, meaning franchises focus on fine-tuning their squads rather than a complete rebuild. The Right to Match (RTM) card is not available for teams to use.

Slots & Purse: A total of 77 slots (including 31 overseas) are available for the 10 franchises to fill. Teams have a combined remaining purse of ₹237.55 crore.

Key Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lead with the largest remaining purse of ₹64.30 crore and the most slots to fill (13), followed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with ₹43.40 crore.

Overseas Cap: A new rule limits the final salary paid to an overseas player to a maximum of ₹18 crore, regardless of the winning bid amount. Any surplus goes to the BCCI's player welfare fund.

Star Players: Around 359 players have been shortlisted, with all-rounders like Cameron Green and top Indian talent like Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi expected to spark fierce bidding wars.