IPL 2026 auction - who will be at the heart of the big bidding wars?

When Mumbai Indians (MI) bought Cameron Green for INR 17.5 crore ahead of the 2023 season, Akash Ambani, the franchise owner, said Green would bring "lifetime value" to the five-time IPL champions. While, in the successful pursuit of getting back Hardik Pandya, Green was traded to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) just a year later, the Australian allrounder unpacked his batting skills during his first IPL stint. Batting in different positions, including as opener, Green scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28 and a handsome average of 50.22, which included a century and two fifties.

At RCB, Green played 13 matches, scoring 255 runs at an average of 31.87 and a strike rate of 143.25. He also picked up ten wickets at an economy of 8.61 at RCB, which was better than the 9.07 during his MI stint, where he took six wickets.

Green did not enter the 2025 mega auction as he was injured, but a year later, the 26-year-old is set to be the focal point of the mini auction with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the top two in terms of purse available, desperate to fill the vacancy for an overseas allrounder.

While Green has listed himself as a batter, it is understood there is no directive from Cricket Australia restricting his bowling. KKR have to find an able replacement for Andre Russell who retired from the IPL, and CSK need an overseas allrounder to bolster their middle order.

The bat makes a distinct noise when Liam Livingstone thwacks the ball into the crowd. Just like his power-hitting colleagues Russell, Tim David and Mitchell Marsh, Livingstone's ability to blitz the opposition makes him among the most in-demand T20 batters.

In the 2025 Hundred, Livingstone blasted Rashid Khan for 4, 6, 6, 6, 4 to lead Birmingham Phoenix to a comfortable win and end Oval Invincibles' unbeaten run in the season. Such skills were the reason defending IPL champions RCB bought the England batting allrounder for INR 8.75 crore, but released him not just to bolster the purse but also due to the presence of David and West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd.

Livingstone, though, has had a strong 2025 overall in T20s: in 35 innings, he has scored 840 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 148.93. He has a balls-per-boundary count of 5.47 (as of December 12). Not just KKR and CSK, but even Lucknow Super Giants, who released David Miller, are likely to look at Livingstone as a finisher.

Matheesha Pathirana is a special bowler. A slinger who can hurl 150kph yorkers with accuracy as well as clunk the helmet of greats like Virat Kohli - as he did with a 153kph rocket last IPL - when he has the rhythm. Such skillsets were what made former CSK captain MS Dhoni, a few years ago, call Pathirana, who turns 23 next week, an asset to treasure as well as protect for his longevity.

Dhoni's words have proved to be prescient as Pathirana has struggled with injury issues in the past year, which have hampered his on-field fitness and performance. And that was also the primary factor for CSK releasing Pathirana, having bought him as a replacement player in 2022 and then retaining him for INR 13 crore ahead of the mega auction last year.

Pathirana, whose workload is being closely managed by Sri Lanka Cricket, is set to play in the ILT20 this weekend, where he is part of Sharjah Warriorz. Pathirana has listed himself at the maximum base price knowing several franchises need an overseas fast bowler, including both CSK and KKR as well as Punjab Kings (PBKS), last year's runners-up.

Why does he remain an attractive buy then? Pathirana has the fifth-best strike rate in the IPL for any quick bowler with more than 20 wickets. Since his IPL debut, Pathirana has 43 wickets in overs 11-20, the second-most for a fast bowler in this phase. Also, among pacers with more than 20 wickets in overs 11-20, Pathirana's economy is second only to Jasprit Bumrah's since 2022.

When Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) released Ravi Bishnoi, who they had brought in as an uncapped player in 2022 and then retained for INR 11 crore before the mega auction last year, it surprised a fair few. But Bishnoi's numbers during his four seasons were nothing special, and his impact was further overshadowed by the emergence of uncapped Indian fingerspinner Digvesh Rathi in IPL 2025.

Still, among the very few capped Indian spinners in the pool, Bishnoi is likely to garner attention, especially since Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are looking for a wristspinner. CSK, too, could look at him as an option even if, barring Imran Tahir, wristspinners have not made a big impact at their home base Chepauk.

Jamie Smith has grabbed attention for unwanted reasons in the ongoing Ashes. He would rather be known for the high regard in which he is held on IPL street, where some franchise think-tanks like his aggressive mindset with the bat.

While Smith has not been able to display his skills in T20Is due to the presence of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, his Hundred numbers are strong. Smith, who predominantly plays as an opener, has stellar numbers in the powerplay (first 25 balls in an innings): in 13 innings, he has scored 178 runs at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 176.23 with a balls-per-boundary count of 3.6.

His numbers against spin, too - a big factor in the IPL - are strong. In the Hundred, against spin bowlers, Smith has scored 145 runs in 13 innings at an average of 29, a strike rate of 154.25 and a balls-per-boundary figure of 5.22. In all T20s, the corresponding numbers are: in 59 innings, 581 runs, 29.05 average, 130.56 strike rate with a balls-per-boundary figure of 7.17.

At 25, Smith is potentially an attractive option, with several teams including KKR, Delhi Capitals (DC) and PBKS on the lookout for a wicketkeeper-batter.