On Tuesday, December 16, the Kolkata Knight Riders paid an incredible INR 25.20 crore for the all-rounder at the IPL 2026 auction, making Cameron Green the most expensive foreign signing in Indian Premier League ever. The previous IPL record for an overseas choice, which was INR 24.75 crore for Mitchell Starc in the IPL 2024 auction, was exceeded by KKR's signing sum.
After Starc and Pat Cummins (INR 20.5 crore) in 2024, Green is now the third Australian to get a fee over INR 20 crore. Green will, however, receive the INR 18 crore wage cap, with the BCCI receiving the remaining INR 7.20 crore. Green has previously scored 707 runs at a strike rate of 153.69 in 29 IPL games for MI and RCB during the previous two seasons.
An intriguing development occurred in the early desire for all-rounders. KKR and RCB performed a 2025 encore to compete for Venkatesh Iyer, but Liam Livingstone had no takers. The all-rounder, who will now play under his Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar, was acquired for INR 7 crore after the reigning champions defeated KKR. This occurs a year after he made INR 23.75 crore.
The next major bidding battle was ignited by Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, as DC and LSG demonstrated the courage to go far. However, KKR entered the contest at INR 16 crore just as DC had left. They then forced LSG to make their second major acquisition of the day, selecting Pathirana for INR 18 crore. After that setback, LSG moved swiftly to sign South African sprinter Anrich Nortje for his basic price of INR 2 crore.
Following the acquisition of Ravindra Jadeja during the trade window, the Rajasthan Royals' spin overhaul proceeded. In a protracted struggle for Ravi Bishnoi, they outmuscled Chennai Super Kings and defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad's late assault to acquire the spinner for 7.20 crore.
CSK break the bank
Prashant Veer of Uttar Pradesh and Kartik Sharma of Rajasthan became the two most expensive uncapped picks in IPL Auction history as CSK paid an incredible 14.20 crore for each player in rapid succession. When LSG signed Avesh Khan for 10 crore before to the 2022 Indian Premier League, they owned the previous record in this category.
Similar to Ravindra Jadeja, Veer, a 20-year-old left-arm spin all-rounder, has amassed 320 runs and claimed eight wickets in ten UPT20 league games. Karthik is a 19-year-old keeper-batter who likes to knock sixes. He has 334 runs with a stunning strike rate of 162.92 in 11 Twenty20 innings. After reaching 14 crore twice, SRH lost the contest for both.
Rise of the uncapped keepers
Kartik wasn't the only Indian uncapped player that attracted the eye of the organisations with his twin job of wearing the gloves and hitting big. Mukul Choudhary, Kartik's partner from Rajasthan and fellow wicketkeeper-batter, also had great success. LSG paid 2.60 crore for the 21-year-old, who had a T20 strike rate of 157.57. The 23-year-old Salil Arora of Punjab, who has amassed 359 runs at a strike rate of 197.25 in 9 T20 innings, including a century, was successfully pursued by SRH. They paid 1.50 crore to acquire him.
The Rajasthan Royals tried to sign Tejasvi Singh Dahiya of Delhi after losing out on Mukul, but they were also unsuccessful. He demonstrated his big-hitting abilities at this year's Delhi Premier League by scoring 339 runs at a strike rate of 190.45, including 29 sixes, which is the second-best total for the season. KKR invested 3 crore to defeat RR.
Need for (domestic) speed
In an attempt to find a replacement for Mohammed Shami, SRH looked to Auqib Nabi, but the Delhi Capitals signed him before them. With great expectations following an amazing domestic season, the 29-year-old from J&K ended up at the Delhi Capitals for 8.40 crore.
The UP phenomenon Naman Tiwari, a 20-year-old left-arm pacer who frequently hits 140 kmph on the speedometer, cost LSG one crore of their budget. He took 19 wickets in this year's UPT20 league and represented India at the 2024 U19 World Cup.
The UP phenomenon Naman Tiwari, a 20-year-old left-arm pacer who frequently hits 140 kmph on the speedometer, cost LSG one crore of their budget. He took 19 wickets in this year's UPT20 league and represented India at the 2024 U19 World Cup.
Ashok Sharma was acquired by GT for 90 lakh to open their account for the evening. With his ability to bowl quickly, Ashok, another Rajasthani representative, is currently the top wicket-taker in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mangesh Yadav, a 23-year-old Madhya Pradesh native and left-arm pace all-rounder, cost RCB 5.20 crore. To get him, they defeated SRH.
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