The 2026 Indian Premier League is the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league held in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It has been held annually since the first edition in 2008. In July 2024, the IPL Governing Council announced that a mega auction would be conducted for the 2025 season followed by mini auctions in 2026 and 2027.
The franchises were required to submit their retention lists before 15 November 2025, and a total of 173 players were retained ahead of the auction. The auction was held on 16 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with the auction purse for each franchise set at . A total of 1,355 players registered for the auction, of which 369 players were shortlisted to feature in the auction and 77 were sold in the auction. Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player and the third most expensive player in the history of IPL when he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for . Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma became the joint-most expensive uncapped players in the history of IPL when they were both bought by Chennai Super Kings for each. Meanwhile the 79 unsold players notably included Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jonny Bairstow, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway, Alzarri Joseph, Gus Atkinson, Deepak Hooda and Karn Sharma.
The ten franchises were allowed to retain any number of players from their squad, including traded players while excluding players signed as temporary replacements. The auction purse for each franchise was set at . Franchises were deducted a specific amount from the auction purse for every retained player. Right-to-Match (RTM) cards were not available for mini auction.
The franchises were required to submit their retention lists before 15 November 2025, and a total of 173 players were retained ahead of the auction.
Any player willing to play in the IPL was required to register for the auction. Players who did not register for the 2025 mega auction are ineligible to participate in the mini-auctions held in the subsequent years. Any auctioned player withdrew before the 2025 season without legitimate reason or injury are banned from the IPL for a period of two years. The salary cap of a player would consist of auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees.
The auction was held on 16 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Mallika Sagar was appointed as the auctioneer for the third consecutive year, after she hosted the 2024 and 2025 auctions. A total of 1,355 players registered for the auction, of which 369 players were shortlisted to feature in the auction and 77 were sold in the auction.