Steve Smith led Australia to an eight-wicket triumph over England in the second Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane. The dominant victory helped the hosts extend their lead to 2-0 in the five-match series, having already defeated England by eight wickets in the opening Test in Perth.
Experienced left-arm quick Mitchell Starc earned the Player of the Match award for his outstanding all-round performance in the day-night encounter, finishing with figures of 6/75, 77 runs, and 2/64. Smith also made a big impact with the bat, scoring 61 off 85 in the first innings and an unbeaten 23 off 9, with two fours and two sixes, in the second.
Steve Smith’s explosive cameo in the fourth innings almost felt like a teaser for the upcoming IPL auction. Here are the top 3 teams who may bid for the Australian great in the 2026 IPL auction:
#3 Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capitals (DC) endured a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign. Despite starting the season in spectacular fashion with four straight victories, their fragile top order eventually proved costly and played a major role in the team failing to qualify for the playoffs. Both Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk struggled to provide explosive starts in the powerplay.
Delhi experimented with a few other opening options as well, but none of them delivered. With the IPL 2026 season in mind, DC will need to restructure their top order. Steve Smith could be a viable candidate to strengthen that department at the mini-auction. He possesses the skill and adaptability to score quickly when needed.
Delhi will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a purse of ₹21.80 crore and five remaining overseas slots, giving them ample financial flexibility to pursue Smith.
#2 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the 2024 IPL champions, released several major names ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The franchise parted ways with Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, all of whom played important roles with the bat during their time at the club.
With departures like Russell and De Kock, KKR’s overseas batting strength has clearly taken a hit. As a result, they will need to reinforce that department at the IPL 2026 auction. Steve Smith could be a strong candidate, especially given that he brings far more to the table than just batting ability.
KKR will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a massive purse of ₹64.30 crore, the highest among all 10 teams, and six remaining overseas slots. With that financial freedom and squad requirement, they have plenty of incentive to pursue the experienced Australian star at the auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
#1 Rajasthan Royals (RR)
The inaugural IPL winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) will now be in search of a new captain after trading Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Although Jadeja brings a wealth of experience, he is unlikely to be given the leadership role due to his previous struggles as captain at CSK.
Among the players retained, RR have Riyan Parag, who led the side in multiple matches during IPL 2025 when Samson was injured. They also have opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, a consistent performer with the bat in recent years. However, both are still relatively young, and the franchise may prefer a captain with more experience.
In recent seasons, most IPL teams have shown a preference for Indian captains. Appointing an overseas skipper can become complicated if their form dips, especially because of the overseas-player limit in the XI. Pat Cummins has excelled for SRH, and Steve Smith’s proven leadership makes him a strong captaincy option for RR.
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