Cameron Green, the Australian all-rounder seen as the marquee prospect at the IPL 2026 auction, delivered on expectations as three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for INR 25.20 crore on Tuesday.

He came into the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore, but an interesting bidding contest at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena pushed his final price to 12 times that figure. Green was initially registered as a batter, later explaining it was a clerical mistake by his manager and confirming he will be bowling in the tournament.

Green’s deal, worth over INR 25.20 crore, made him the most expensive overseas player the IPL has seen, going past the previous benchmark set by Mitchell Starc at INR 24.75 crore in the 2024 auction. He is currently third on the all-time list, after Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Coincidentally, Green topped the bidding-count chart too, with 117 bids, breaking Shreyas Iyer’s record tally of 103

The opening bid for Green came from the Mumbai Indians, who entered the auction with just over INR 2 crore. Rajasthan Royals raised the next paddle, and Kolkata Knight Riders quickly stepped in to ramp up the battle.

KKR and Rajasthan Royals locked horns in a fierce bidding duel, with neither team willing to ease off. Rajasthan eventually dropped out once KKR reached INR 13.60 crore, and it appeared the three-time champions were set to land the all-rounder. That’s when CSK stepped in and reignited the battle. What followed was a rapid exchange of bids between CSK and KKR as both sides tried to outdo each other. The amount quickly moved beyond INR 18 crore, and in the end, KKR won the contest, signing the all-rounder for INR 25.20 crore.

Why does Green receive INR 18 crore when his auction price is INR 25.20 crore?

As per IPL rules, Green will be paid a maximum of INR 18 crore even though his auction bid went higher, because overseas players have an INR 18 crore salary ceiling. Introduced by the BCCI ahead of last year’s auction and applied to the mini-auction, the cap matches the top retention bracket from the last mega auction.

Any sum above INR 18 crore will go into the BCCI’s player welfare fund, even though the franchise must pay the entire bid from its auction purse. This limit applies only to overseas players. Green has previously played for Mumbai Indians and RCB, and in 29 IPL matches he has scored 707 runs with a top score of 100* and taken 16 wickets.