IPL 2026 Auction Overpriced Buys: 7 Deals Already Raising Serious Questions

The IPL mini-auction marked a bunch of players for an insane price, though some grabs seemed completely justified, and the credibility of some of them was under immense scrutiny.

Cameron Green might have roped in a much-deserved amount, but several players seemingly have made an insane amount of money, which was not expected for that cricketer. One of those cricketers was Matheesha Pathirana, the seasoned Lankan pacer who was bought for the insane price of INR 18 crores.

Here is a list of players with an overpriced deal in IPL 2026:

7. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana was released by his former franchise, Chennai Super Kings. The Kolkata Knight Riders went all-out to acquire his services; however, the player's injury proneness and lack of bowling discipline have raised questions about his insane purse.

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Seemingly, such a huge investment in a relatively young pacer doesn't seem the wisest of decisions from the KKR management.

6. Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur was bought for 9.2 crore. His availability for the upcoming IPL is under major doubt, and under such circumstances, the insane amount of fortune spent over him seemed crazy from Abhishek Nayar and Venky Mysore.

Rahman, though, is a bowler known for his supreme skills with the white ball in the death overs.

5. Venkatesh Iyer

The former KKR batter got his final bid price lower by the biggest margin in the history of the IPL. After a massive bid last season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him for just 7 crores in this auction.

Iyer has been out of form for over 2 years now, and that too not only in the IPL but also in domestic contests. Iyer might not be the correct no. 3 for the RCB team, and that is where they intend to place him.

4. Prashant Veer

The youngster from UP is undoubtedly a promising player on the rise, and he might deliver well for the Super Kings. But for a player of his caliber, and also taking his inexperience into account, the extremely high purse never seemed a rational bid for the Super Kings.

The batter will be placed in the lower order, and Veer will have the burden of finishing the innings for the CSK team. He was bought for 14.2 crores.

3. Kartik Sharma

Another youngster who also seems very promising, as he has emerged as a serious hitter of the ball. However, considering Kartik's insane price tag of 14.2 crores, he will have to be forced into the playing XI.

For a 20-year-old batter who is just known for being a pinch hitter during the end phase of an inning, a bid that empties the purse seemed like a bit of a controversial decision.

2. Josh Inglis

Josh Inglis had informed the IPL franchises that he would only be available for 25% of the season, and for a player who does not even offer a full season, giving away INR 8.60 crores did not seem to be a wise call.

However, with the determination Tom Moddhe showed for bidding on him, it seemed he was included as a part of his longtime plans in the XI.

1. Jason Holder

The West Indies all-rounder, who was not prioritized as a pick in the auction, suddenly drew a massive amount of INR 7 crores from the Gujarat Titans. With Sherfane Rutherford gone, GT might have an overseas spot in the XI, but Holder is in no way an ideal fit.

Hence, Holder's selection is a very skeptical one for the Ashish Nehra-led side.

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