The Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction will take place on December 16 (Tuesday) in Abu Dhabi from 2.30 PM IST onwards. Out of a total of 1355 players who had registered for the mini-auction, 350 have been short-listed to go under the hammer. There are 77 slots to be filled, including 31 overseas positions, across the teams. CSK and KKR are the teams with the most purse with Rs 64.30 crore and Rs 43.30 crore respectively. Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, let’s take a look at the players that each team should target.
Players teams should target in IPL 2026 auction
1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Cameron Green: The Australian all-rounder is bound to be the most sought player in the IPL 2026 auction, given his prowess with both bat and ball. The star missed IPL 2025 due to an injury. With CSK releasing all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda, the team needs a player like Green who can not only deliver maximum with the bat but also with the ball.
Ravi Bishnoi: The spinner is someone that CSK could look at to replace Ravichandran Ashwin who retired from IPL earlier this year. CSK desperately need a spin partner for Noor Ahmad, especially since Ashwin and Jadeja are both gone.
2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Gerald Coetzee: Having released South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi, RCB could might as well pick the Proteas pacer as his replacement in the mini-auction.
3. Mumbai Indians (MI)
Anrich Nortje: MI have released Reece Topley and Lizaad Williams, which means they’ll need another foreign fast bowler. However, there’s a catch. Since they have only one overseas slot left, they have to be smart about it. They’ll need another foreign pacer other than Trent Boult, preferably someone who bowls in the middle.
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Ben Dwarshuis or Jason Behrendorff:SRH don’t have a proper powerplay pacer now. They gave away Shami to LSG, while also releasing Simarjeet Singh, a move that could raise a few eyebrows. With Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat and Pat Cummins, SRH don’t have a gun new-ball bowler who can attack early.
Ravi Bishnoi: SRH love to have defensive bowlers who can curb the batting run rate, with Harshal, Unadkat and Brydon Carse being prime examples in the team. Bishnoi had a lacklustre IPL 2025 but his stocks will be high after LSG released him from an Rs 11 crore contract.
5. Gujarat Titans (GT)
Liam Livingstone: GT need a replacement for Sherfane Rutherford. The West Indian had aced his role as GT’s finisher in IPL 2025 and it was quite honestly surprising to see the side let go of the Caribbean star.Ex-RCB all-rounder Livingstone is another option that GT can consider as Rutherford’s replacement.
6. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Matheesha Pathirana: In place of Shamar Joseph, LSG can try and rope in Pathirana, who has been one of CSK’s frontline pacers in the past. Unlike Joseph, he can take part in most games (if fit) and can come of good use for the franchise.
Rahul Chahar / Adam Zampa: LSG have released their most experienced spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Now LSG have two options. They can either buy back Bishnoi for a lesser price at the IPL 2026 mini-auction or could look at Rahul Chahar as his ideal replacement in the side. Since LSG lack an overseas spinner, they could also eye Adam Zampa, who can work very well with head coach Justin Langer.
7. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Quinton de Kock: Although the South African was released by KKR, the team is in a dire need for a keeper having released both de Kock and Gurbaz. With the Proteas batter’s form off late, the three-time champions might want to buy him back.
Wiaan Mulder/Cameron Green: Either of the all-rounders could serve as an apt replacemet for Venkatesh Iyer.
8. Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Jamie Smith: A replacement for Josh Inglis.
9. Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Jake Fraser-McGurk / Devon Conway / Rachin Ravindra: RR will not be impacted by the trade of Samson, for they have their opening combo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi in place. Yet, the team will need a back-up opener, just in case on of them are injured or unavailable. In that case, they have three options that they can target – Conway, Rachin and JFM.
Akash Deep: RR lack an experienced Indian fast-bowler as their current unit comprises of just Sandeep and Tushar. They could even go for Akash Deep – who was released by LSG ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction
10. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Rachin Ravindra / Devon Conway / Jake Fraser-McGurk: First and foremost, DC need to find an opening partner for KL Rahul, since they have released du Plessis and JFM. From the list of released players, some of the options that the team can target include the ex-CSK duo of Rachin and Conway, apart from Kiwi keeper-batter Seifert. Another option that DC can pursue is buying back Fraser-McGurk for a lesser price. The Australian opener, who was once viewed as a destructive batter, was released after a sub-par performance in IPL 2025.
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