The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is scheduled to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. This marks the third consecutive year that the auction will be hosted outside India. The 2024 edition in Dubai was the first-ever overseas IPL auction, followed by the two-day mega event for the 2025 season in Jeddah in November 2024.
The upcoming 2026 auction, like all mini editions, will be a one-day affair. Before that, all ten franchises must finalize their list of players to retain and release from their 2025 squads by 3 PM IST on November 15. Once this is completed, they will receive a registered pool of players from which they can shortlist names for bidding. This long list will later be trimmed down to form the final auction pool.
Trading Window And Key Transfers
The trading window, which opened soon after the conclusion of the 2025 season, will remain active until a week before the auction. It will then pause briefly before reopening and continuing until a month before the start of IPL 2026. However, franchises are not allowed to trade players who are purchased during the 2026 auction.
So far, four confirmed trades involving five franchises have been completed. Among them is one of the most talked-about deals in IPL history — a player swap between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). CSK acquired Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, while RR received the all-rounder duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in return. This exchange has been regarded as one of the biggest moves in the tournament’s trading history.
Mumbai Indians Complete Multiple Cash Deals
Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time champions, have also been active in the trading market. On Thursday, they secured the services of India all-rounder Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹2 crore and West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹2.60 crore, both in all-cash deals.
In another move, LSG brought in Arjun Tendulkar from MI at his base price of ₹30 lakh. These transactions highlight how teams are working to strengthen their rosters ahead of the new season. The tentative window for IPL 2026 has been set from March 15 to May 31, ensuring yet another thrilling season of cricket as teams prepare to battle for the coveted title on the global stage once again.
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