The 2026 IPL auction and retention cycle broke financial records across the board, with franchises spending more aggressively than ever on both proven stars and uncapped talent.
The Highest-Paid Players Overall
- Rishabh Pant, ₹27 crore, retained by Lucknow Super Giants as captain and primary wicketkeeper
- Shreyas Iyer, ₹26.75 crore, retained by his franchise as a senior leadership figure
- Cameron Green, ₹25.20 crore, the most expensive player of the actual auction, bought by Kolkata Knight Riders after a bidding war involving Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals
- Virat Kohli, ₹21 crore, retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru despite stepping down from captaincy
The ₹18 Crore Tier
Five players landed at the ₹18 crore level: Sanju Samson, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Matheesha Pathirana, a group that reflects how heavily franchises now value all-format international experience and death-overs specialists.
The Uncapped Talent Story
Two uncapped Indian players, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, both went to Chennai Super Kings for ₹14.20 crore each, a new record for any uncapped player in IPL history. That surge in young talent pricing connects directly to the emergence of players covered in our feature on young Indian cricketers who could become the next superstars.
Why Prices Keep Climbing
Across the auction, more than ₹215 crore was spent collectively by the ten franchises on 77 players, including 29 overseas signings. The trend reflects how franchises increasingly prize versatility, matching the broader shift toward all-rounders and finishers discussed in our piece on India’s best T20 players right now. Expect these numbers to climb again at the next mega auction cycle.