IPL Auction 2026 Date, Time, Venue Officially Announced By BCCI

The countdown to the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) is officially on. After the retention process was done on Saturday, November 15, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the date and venue for the IPL Auction 2026.

The stage is set for an intense bidding war in Abu Dhabi as a total of 77 player slots are up for grabs, including 31 spots for overseas stars after the retention process. Now, the teams will fight for the remaining slots with a combined auction purse of INR 237.55 crore next month in Abu Dhabi.

IPL Auction 2026 set for December 16 at Etihad Arena

The much-anticipated IPL Auction 2026 will be a grand overseas event this time that will take place on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. All ten franchises have submitted their list of retained players, and now the real action begins.

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Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will enter the IPL Auction 2026 with the largest purse of INR 64.30 crore, after releasing high-profile players like Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, giving them plenty of room to rebuild and strengthen their team.

On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are next in line with INR 43.40 crore, aiming to strengthen their squad after retention.

However, this time, the Mumbai Indians (MI) find themselves in a tight spot with only INR 2.75 crore to spend on the auction, despite having a roster of 20 players, which limits their options in the IPL Auction 2026.

KKR leads the race with a massive ₹64.3 crore purse

Well, the KKR enter the auction with 12 players already on their roster and 13 slots still to fill, including 6 spots for overseas stars, and they can bet on the big stars having the biggest purse of INR 64.3 crore. CSK has 16 players retained, leaving 9 slots open with 4 overseas positions.

Speaking about Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kavya Maran's team will compete for 10 slots to fill, including 2 for overseas players, after retaining 15 players with INR 25.5 crore at their disposal.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have 19 players retained, leaving just 6 slots to complete their squad at the auction, 4 of which are for overseas players, and a purse of INR 22.95 crore.

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Delhi Capitals (DC) retained 17 players, leaving 8 slots open to fill, including 5 for overseas stars, with INR 21.8 crore available. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) also have 17 players retained, 8 slots remaining, including 2 overseas, and INR 16.4 crore in their purse.

Mumbai Indians enter IPL Auction with the smallest purse

Rajasthan Royals (RR) retained 16 players, leaving 9 slots open with 1 overseas spot and INR 16.05 crore to spend at the auction. Gujarat Titans (GT) have 20 players in their roster, with 5 slots remaining, including 4 for overseas players, and a purse of INR 12.9 crore.

At the end, Punjab Kings (PBKS) retained the largest number of players from their last squad—21players, leaving only 4 slots with 2 for overseas talent to fill in at the auction, where they can spend INR 11.5 crore.

Mumbai Indians enter the auction with 20 players retained but only 5 slots to fill, including 1 overseas slot, and the smallest purse of INR 2.75 crore.