IPL 2026 Auction: Players Who Could Earn Life-Changing Money Overnight

The IPL 2026 mini-auction will be the most exciting in the history of the Indian Premier League. Several players will be up in the auction who will be drawing an insane amount of money. Rishabh Pant remains the most expensive player in the history of the IPL, and Cameron Green might be threatening his bid.

The article includes several cricketers who are part of the revised list of cricketers enlisted for the upcoming IPL mini-auction. The list comprises 359 players with 112 overseas options, and a few of them can draw a massive amount of money from the purses of the franchises.

The likes of the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders have the highest amount of vacant spots as well as the highest amount of purse ahead of the mini-auction. One of the players in this list was released by the Chennai Super Kings themselves in order to boost their purse.

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Here's a List of cricketers who can draw record-breaking money in the IPL mini-auction:

5. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana, the slingy fast bowler from Sri Lanka, made his debut in IPL with the Chennai Super Kings and has relished playing for the franchise. Pathirana is known for his unorthodox action and his exceptional control in the death overs.

Pathirana picked 47 IPL wickets after having played for four seasons in the IPL. He will be of great value in the upcoming mini-auction, as he is likely to be placed a bid on by several teams who can fit in an overseas pacer within the side.

The likes of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad might be interested in making a bid for Matheesha Pathirana. Sunrisers and Knight Riders will be desperate for a quality quick bowling option.

4. Jamie Smith

The English wicket-keeper batter has opened for England in the shortest format of the game. Smith is known as an explosive batter across all formats of the game for England. He is known for having a long reach and inducing finesse in his gameplay.

Jamie Smith opens for England in the shortest format of the game and can come in handy in the IPL as well. He can be useful for teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are in the quest for an opener as well as a wicket-keeper batter.

Jamie Smith, though overseas, can be a realistic option for the Knight Riders after the bid on Quinton de Kock went in vain last season. Moreover, Rahmanullah Gurbaz would also not be taking the top spot, and KKR might hope to find a player like Phil Salt at the top.

3. Cooper Connolly

Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly has played for Australia in the shortest format recently and has performed significantly well with both bat and ball. Connolly has been a real talent with the bat down the order.

Connolly might be one of the spin-bowling all-rounders who can add depth to the batting order of teams, and the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans might be looking forward to such grabs. Even the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who struggled with their lower-order batting last season, can make a move towards the Australians.

2. Pathum Nissanka

The Sri Lankan opener is yet to be bought in the IPL auction despite having enlisted his name several times in the IPL. He is one of the very few players from the Sri Lankan team who has performed consistently in recent times.

Nissanka, who is a fine cricketer, recently got to his maiden T20I hundred against Zimbabwe in the tri-series in Pakistan. He was their highest run-getter in the series. After Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka, and Kamindu Mendis were bought in recent years in the auction, Nissanka can be another fine pick among players of Sri Lankan origin.

KKR can once again make a move, as they are the only unsettled team that needs an opening pair, while Delhi Capitals might also be on the quest for a replacement for Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

1. Cameron Green

A name that has constantly been making the rounds on social media, Cameron Green is currently one of Australia's finest cricketers in the modern-day format. On his comeback in the Caribbean, he scored multiple half-centuries for the Aussies and announced his return to T20Is.

Green is among the most handy all-rounders in T20I cricket, since he is a specialist batter who can be promoted up the order and can also come in handy in the middle order. Though Green lacks power-hitting skills in the death, his stature makes him a dangerous batter once he has his eyes set on the ball.

With every team eager to have the big all-rounder, the likely bidding war is to take place between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings, both of which have massive purses.

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