New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) dominated the proceedings as the ten franchises spent a combined 212.85 crore on 77 players at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. While KKR splurged big on prominent names, CSK placed their faith in uncapped Indian talents at the auction.

The auction panned out on the expected lines as KKR (Rs 64.30 crore) and CSK (Rs 43.40 crore), who entered the auction with the two biggest purses, dictated the terms. KKR signed Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for a whopping Rs 25.20 crore, making him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history.

Green surpassed the record held by his Australian teammate Mitchell Starc, who was sold to KKR for Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. KKR also spent big on Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, roping him in for Rs 18 crore after beating Lucknow Super Giants in a bidding war for him.

KKR also went all out to secure the signing of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, picking him up for Rs 9.20 crore after edging CSK in a bidding war for him. The three-time champions roped in Kiwi wicket-keeper batters Finn Allen and Tim Seifert at their base price of Rs 2 crore and Rs 1.5 crore, respectively, while also buying the likes of Akash Deep, Rahul Tripathi and Rachin Ravindra.

CSK spent the majority of their purse on uncapped Indian players as they roped in Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan wicket-keeper batter Kartik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore each. While Prashant is a rising left-arm all-rounder, who bowls slow left-arm spin and bats in the lower-middle order, Kartik is a clean hitter, known for his six-hitting prowess.

Prashant and Kartik became the joint-most expensive uncapped players in IPL history after receiving record bids from CSK. England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who went unsold initially, was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for a huge sum of Rs 13 crore, while Lucknow Super Giants roped in the likes of Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga and........

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