Cricketers Cameron Green, who KKR bought for ₹25.20 crores, Matheesha Pathirana, who KKR bought for ₹18 crores, and Ravi Bishnoi, who RR bought for ₹7.20 crores at the IPL players’ auction in Abu Dhabi.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) splurged a record-breaking ₹25.20 crore to land top Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and ₹18 crore to acquire Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana in the Indian Premier League (IPL) players’ auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (December 16, 2025).
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also made a clear statement by investing ₹14.20 crore each in rookies Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma – two of the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.
Nine domestic uncapped players broke into the crorepati club, with three more fetching bids in excess of ₹90 lakh.
Liam Livingstone also made a late splash in the recall round, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) spending ₹13 crore on the England all-rounder.
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar also attracted a hefty sum of ₹8.40 crore from Delhi Capitals (DC) to be among the top gainers in the mini auction. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) signed Madhya Pradesh left-arm pace-bowling all-rounder Mangesh Yadav for ₹5.20 crore.
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 (RR) brought in Bishnoi as its lead spinner for ₹7.20 crore, while RCB finally landed Venkatesh Iyer after being outbid by KKR last season, holding firm until KKR withdrew at ₹7 crore.
Also read | IPL auction 2026: Green emerges costliest overseas player ever; windfall for Pathirana
Australian all-rounder Jack Edwards was bought by SRH for ₹3 crore. New Zealand’s Tom Banton and Adam Milne went to the Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹2 crore and RR for ₹2.40 crore, respectively, at the accelerated round.
In total, all 77 players were signed at the auction as franchises spent ₹215.45 crore combined. Unsurprisingly, KKR emerged as the biggest spender, having entered the auction with a purse more than ₹20 crore higher than its nearest rivals.
Here is a full list of sold players and the teams they are going to represent in IPL 2026:
Published – December 17, 2025 12:00 pm IST
