Abu Dhabi: When the bidding started for Cameron Green on Tuesday afternoon, everyone in the room knew they were about to witness something special. And they did. The Australian all-rounder's name got called out at ₹25.2 crore, smashing through what seemed like an untouchable record and becoming the most expensive overseas player ever in IPL history.
What made it even more dramatic was the way it happened. Kolkata Knight Riders weren't alone in their desperation. Rajasthan Royals came hard at it, then Chennai Super Kings jumped in. By the time the dust settled, Shah Rukh Khan's KKR had their man, and Green had just rewritten the record books. He'd now sit above his Australian mate Mitchell Starc, who'd held the record at ₹24.75 crore just two years earlier.
But here's the thing about this mini-auction in Abu Dhabi for IPL 2026 — it wasn't just about one big purchase. The whole evening felt like a festival of spending, with franchises clearly armed with bigger budgets and even bigger ambitions. The 10 teams collectively threw ₹215.45 crore at 77 players, and honestly, some of the money moves were absolutely bonkers.
Take Chennai Super Kings, for instance. They didn't just splash cash on experienced names. They went absolutely mad for two uncapped Indian lads — Prashant Veer, a spinner from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik Sharma, a wicketkeeper-batter. Each commanded ₹14.2 crore. Let that sink in. Two players nobody's seen much of at the IPL level, and they're joint owners of the record for the highest amount ever paid to an uncapped player. That's the kind of faith CSK put in their scouting.
Lucknow Super Giants weren't shy either, forking out ₹8.60 crore for Josh Inglis. Meanwhile, Chennai circled back to pick up leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for ₹5.20 crore, bringing back the yellow colours to the Chepauk veteran.
The auction highlighted just how much value teams are placing on uncapped domestic talent. Kashmir's Aquib Dar headed to Delhi Capitals for ₹8.40 crore, while Mangesh Yadav joined Royal Challengers Bangalore at ₹5.20 crore. These weren't throwaway buys — these were serious investments in raw Indian talent.
Amongst the overseas brigade, the money kept flowing. Matheesha Pathirana landed at Kolkata for ₹18 crore, Liam Livingstone went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹13 crore, and Mustafizur Rahman also found his way to KKR at ₹9.20 crore. Ravi Bishnoi joined Rajasthan at ₹7.20 crore, while Venkatesh Iyer completed the top buys at RCB for ₹7 crore.
