Cameron Green lived up to the billing as he emerged the costliest overseas player — and the third-highest overall — at the Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction ahead of the 2026 season. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outbid Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to secure the Australian allrounder for a whopping Rs. 25.20 crore at the Etihad Arena here on Tuesday.

Armed with the biggest purse, KKR also snapped up Sri Lankan slinger Matheesha Pathirana for Rs. 18 crore, while Liam Livingstone made a late splash in the recall round, with Sunrisers Hyderabad spending Rs. 13 crore on the England allrounder.

Yet, the 19th player auction will be remembered less for the marquee overseas buys and more for a historic windfall for domestic uncapped players.

CSK shattered records by acquiring Kartik Sharma — the 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan who lit up the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — and Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Prashant Veer for Rs. 14.20 crore each. The duo jointly became the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history, comfortably eclipsing the previous record of Rs. 9 crore, jointly held by Rahul Tewatia and M. Shahrukh Khan at the 2022 mega auction.

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Remarkably, Kartik and Veer fetched more than 47 times their base price of Rs. 30 lakh, underlining a clear shift in franchise thinking towards backing domestic talent. That trend was further reinforced when Delhi Capitals secured Jammu & Kashmir swing bowler Auqib Nabi for Rs. 8.40 crore, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed Madhya Pradesh left-arm pace-bowling allrounder Mangesh Yadav for Rs. 5.20 crore.

All four uncapped Indians featured among the top 15 buys of the auction, prompting CSK head coach Stephen Fleming to remark that “the T20 babies are coming to the fore”.

Among established Indian names, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi — two of the most high-profile releases ahead of the auction — also commanded healthy prices. Rajasthan Royals brought in Bishnoi as its lead spinner for Rs. 7.20 crore, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally landed Venkatesh Iyer after being outbid by KKR last season, holding firm until KKR withdrew at Rs. 7 crore.

In total, 77 players were signed at the auction as franchises spent a combined Rs. 215.45 crore. Unsurprisingly, KKR emerged as the biggest spenders, having entered the auction with a purse more than Rs. 20 crore higher than its nearest rival.

CSK added nine players to its roster, including the experienced Indians Sarfaraz Khan and Rahul Tripathi.

Published on Dec 16, 2025