The predictable unpredictability of IPL auction: KKR, CSK richest; Cameron Green, Ravi Bishnoi to be multi-millionaires

The IPL mini auction in Abu Dhabi promises unpredictability as franchises strategise to strengthen their teams with high-profile players.

The only thing predictable about every IPL auction, mega or otherwise, is its sheer unpredictability, so why should Tuesday’s mini auction be any different?

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For the third time on the bounce, the auction has gone overseas. If it was Dubai that hosted the mini auction ahead of IPL 2024 and Jeddah was the scene of furious bidding at the big auction last year, the focus shifts to Abu Dhabi, where the ten franchises will seek to add the resources that they believe will give them the best chance of a shot at top honours.

Teams come armed with strong data-driven strategies, clear in their minds about which player(s) they would like to target and how far they can go in their efforts to secure their services, but such are the dynamics at play that the best-laid plans often go askew. The bidding war is a fierce process oftentimes dictated by emotion; of course, the purse available plays a significant part too, and that’s where Kolkata Knight Riders ( ₹64.30 crore) and Chennai Super Kings ( ₹43.40 crore) might appear to have a distinct edge.

But the fact that these two former champions have so much at their disposal means they have more slots to fill than most others. KKR let go of a host of overseas superstars, among them Andre Russell (now retired and hired as a ‘power’ coach), explosive opener-keepers Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, express speedsters Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson, and Venkatesh Iyer, on whom they splurged ₹23.75 crore in Jeddah. With 13 slots to fill, including six from overseas, the 2024 champions will be at their aggressive best.

CSK, the five-time champions who brought up the foot of the table last season, can procure nine players, of whom four can be non-Indians. In the closed season, they parted ways with Kiwi openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, Sri Lankan pace ace Matheesha Pathirana and seasoned all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, both traded to Rajasthan Royals so that they could ensnare Sanju Samson. Towards the backend of last season, after their established names came a cropper, CSK belatedly turned to their young guys and were well served by Ayush Mhatre, the India Under-19 captain, specifically. Their hunt will revolve around finding explosive firepower in the middle order, and that’s where Liam Livingstone will come into the picture.

Livingstone, the Englishman who is a fierce striker of the ball and is equally adept at off- and leg-spin bowling, was released by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in what might appear a surprise move, but was in actuality dictated by the depth of their squad. In Tim David and Romario Shepherd, they have two marauding overseas ‘finishers’ who can destroy the best of attacks, so it made sense to offload the option that would least disrupt their title defence.

Livingstone will be in great demand, of that there is little doubt, alongside big Australian Cameron Green, who missed IPL 2025 as he was recovering from back surgery. A ‘stuff-up’ by his manager, Green revealed on Sunday, resulted in him entering the auction fray as a specialist batter and not the all-rounder he is. But Cricket Australia have placed no conditions with regard to managing his bowling workload, so the towering 26-year-old is available as a muti-skilled choice who brings value for money at his base price of ₹2 crore. Green and Livingstone will clearly be the most sought-after names and it should come as no surprise if KKR, more than CSK, are willing to break the bank as they chase at least one, if not both, of them.

Among the other overseas stars expected to attract attention are Pathirana, who has fallen off after his battles with injuries, and David Miller, the South African left-hander who is now struggling to get into the national T20I squad. Then, there is Jamie Smith, the England Test wicketkeeper whose international progress in the shortest format has been stymied by the presence of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt. Smith has played only five T20Is but has a strike-rate of 144.31 (133 fours and 79 sixes) across 97 20-over matches, so he is an attractive prospect who is also in the ₹2-crore base price bracket. Don’t also discount Michael Bracewell, the New Zealand off-spinner who can take bowling attacks apart with impunity, as he showcased with a sensational 78-ball 140 against India in an ODI in Hyderabad in January 2023.

After a long time, the IPL will be without three long-serving overseas stalwarts. Faf du Plessis, the former RCB skipper, and Moeen Ali, the widely-travelled off-spinner, have both opted for the Pakistan Super League, perhaps after clearly reading the room. One-time South African skipper du Plessis will turn 42 in July while the 38-year-old Moeen didn’t have a great IPL 2025 and was one of many let go of by KKR. Joining them in the no-show list is the Big Show, Glenn Maxwell, who has seldom translated his heroics for Australia to consistently impactful performances for any of the franchises he has represented.

Among the India internationals in the fray, it will be interesting to see how Ravi Bishnoi goes. Once touted as the natural successor to Yuzvendra Chahal, the leg-spinner has fallen on hard times and was thrown back into the auction pool by Lucknow Super Giants, who also parted ways with pacers Akash Deep, West Indian Shamar Joseph and Kiwi Will O’Rourke. Clearly, coach Justin Langer will be seized of the need to shore up his pace-bowling stocks in support of Mohammed Shami, who they traded in from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

This auction will be crucial for top-order batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, once hot IPL properties but now out in the wilderness. Shaw has been making waves again in domestic cricket after moving to Maharashtra while his former Mumbai mate Sarfaraz hasn’t been as destructive, though he did serve a timely reminder of his potential with a frenetic 25-ball 64 for Mumbai against Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Sunday.

Uncapped Indians that are set to make a splash include R Smaran, the Karnataka left-hander who was signed up by SRH last season as an injury replacement before himself getting injured, and the exciting Auqib Nabi, the 29-year-old swing bowler from Jammu & Kashmir. Nabi’s USP is his accuracy and his ability to take wickets up top. SRH specifically will be very keen to snap him up, given how profligate they were in the Powerplay last year.

Also in the reckoning will be Ashok Sharma, the Rajasthan fast bowler who has been lighting up the domestic circuit, including at the Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he has already touched the 20-wicket mark in just nine games.

Mini auctions seldom live up to their name because while the number of slots to be sealed might not be humongous (77 across the ten franchises), there are gaps to fill, holes to plug and, in certain cases, cores to be established. Brace yourself then, for a paddle-battle royale.