Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made headlines at the IPL mini-auction by splurging a record INR 14.20 crore each on uncapped Indian youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. The duo now hold the distinction of being the most expensive uncapped Indian players in IPL auction history.

Veer, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik, a Rajasthan native, represent a new generation of Indian cricketers shaped by the demands of T20 cricket. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming described the pair as T20 babies, highlighting how players of their age have grown up immersed in the shortest format of the game. He noted that modern-day youngsters arrive with a strong understanding of T20 skills and fearless intent.

“These are T20 babies. They’ve grown up with the format. They just express their skills. There’s no fear. Sometimes experienced players get caught trying to work out where the game’s going. So there’s real appeal, especially when the game is being played faster and faster. I think it’s a byproduct of T20 being around for some time now, and we’re all learning, being involved with it, and the faster it gets, these young players seem to play better,” Fleming said post the IPL mini-auction as quoted by The Indian Express.

Before this auction, Avesh Khan held the record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player in IPL history, having been signed by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 10 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. Prior to that, Krishnappa Gowtham had set the benchmark when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired him for INR 9.25 crore at the IPL 2021 auction. When asked about the apparent shift in CSK’s auction strategy, particularly their increased focus on investing in younger players, Fleming acknowledged that the franchise may have been slower than others to adapt.

“As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it. Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success, but we identified that we needed to shift, and partly the work that we did last season, halfway through, has enabled us to continue that work done,” Fleming said.

Veer, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batter, has impressed with his all-round performances in domestic T20 cricket. In 12 matches during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 112 runs at a strike rate of 167.16 and claimed 12 wickets. Veer further showcased his talent in the UP T20 League, amassing 320 runs and taking eight wickets in 10 matches.

Kartik, a wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan, has also made waves in T20s, scoring 334 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 164, including 28 sixes. Like Veer, Sharma commanded a price of INR 14.20 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, an astounding 47.3 times his base price of INR 30 lakh.