IPL Auction 2026 Highlights: Kolkata Knight Riders made significant investments in the Indian Premier League players’ auction on Tuesday. They spent Rs 25.20 crore on Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and Rs 18 crore on Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana.
Notable Indian players Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan remained unsold despite their recent strong batting performances.
Green’s acquisition set a new record as the highest-paid overseas player in IPL auction history, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s previous record of Rs 24.75 crore. The bidding saw intense competition between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore after KKR withdrew from the bidding.
Pathirana’s signing came after a competitive bidding process involving Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants. Starting at a base price of Rs 2 crore, he became the highest-paid Sri Lankan player in IPL auction history.
Green’s actual salary will be Rs 18 crore, with the excess amount going to BCCI’s player development programme, as per foreign player auction rules. Pathirana will receive his full bid amount within the salary cap.
Green brings experience from his time with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, having played 29 IPL matches with 707 runs and 16 wickets.
Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan failed to secure contracts despite their impressive domestic performances, including Sarfaraz’s recent 73-run innings off 22 balls in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match.
Delhi Capitals acquired South African David Miller at his base price of Rs 2 crore, while New Zealand’s Devon Conway found no buyers at the same base price.
Mumbai Indians welcomed back Quinton de Kock for his base price of Rs 1 crore.
Australian Spencer Johnson remained unsold, while South African pacer Anrich Nortje joined Lucknow Super Giants after starting at a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) emerged as one of the most active teams, signing England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore. Livingstone brings extensive T20 pedigree, having scored nearly 7,500 runs and taken 143 wickets in the format, while also contributing strongly for England.
Despite a modest IPL 2025 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, his recent form in The Hundred and Vitality Blast made him a major target. SRH continued to invest heavily by acquiring Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis for Rs 8.6 crore, young all-rounder Jack Edwards for Rs 3 crore, and pacer Shivam Mavi for Rs 75 lakh.
Kolkata Knight Riders strengthened their squad with the signing of New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra for Rs 2 crore. Ravindra enjoyed a productive year in international and domestic T20 cricket and offers balance with both bat and ball. KKR also brought back Bengal pacer Akash Deep for his base price, banking on familiarity and domestic consistency despite his modest IPL record so far.
Chennai Super Kings focused on bowling depth, adding leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for Rs 5.2 crore and New Zealand quick Matt Henry for Rs 2 crore. Henry arrives after an outstanding year, highlighted by his Champions Trophy success. CSK also picked up Sarfaraz Khan at a low cost, adding domestic batting depth.
Punjab Kings strengthened their pace attack with Australian left-armer Ben Dwarshuis. While Delhi Capitals secured Lungi Ngidi and young all-rounder Sahil Parikh.
Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru made value buys. However, the auction also saw notable snubs, with Jake Fraser-McGurk, Deepak Hooda and Spencer Johnson among those left unsold.