Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw — the intriguing batters who went unsold in last year’s full auction — have been named in the opening set of players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction ahead of the 2026 edition
Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw — the intriguing batters who went unsold in last year’s full auction — have been named in the opening set of players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction ahead of the 2026 edition. The auction is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
Sarfaraz, surprisingly ignored by the national selectors despite a promising start to his Test career, found no bidders in the previous full auction. Shaw — who was dropped by Mumbai midway through the domestic season before being passed over by IPL franchises — has since moved to Maharashtra. The shift has worked for him, as he has rediscovered consistency with the bat and displayed noticeable improvement in his fitness.
Both Sarfaraz and Shaw now feature in the first set of capped batters with a base price of ₹75 lakh. They are grouped with Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, and David Miller – each carrying a base price of ₹2 crore. Notably, Green – the Australian allrounder – has been listed only as a batter for the auction.
The final auction list was released by the IPL authorities on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) morning, just a week before the auction. The pool features 350 players — 240 Indians and 110 overseas cricketers — with a maximum of 77 signings available.
The second set includes Venkatesh Iyer (base price ₹2 crore) – the high-priced allrounder released by Kolkata Knight Riders – along with Deepak Hooda (₹75 lakh) and five high-profile overseas allrounders.
Of the 350 names, 40 cricketers have opted for the highest base price bracket of ₹2 crore, while 227 uncapped domestic players have fixed their base price at ₹30 lakh – the lowest among the eight available brackets.
Published – December 09, 2025 10:42 am IST
