Kartik Sharma becomes joint most expensive uncapped player in IPL history

The signing was made within seconds of them buying another uncapped player in the form of Prashant Veer who was bought for the same amount of money making both players the join most expensive buys.

Chennai Super Kings went all in during the uncapped category of the IPL 2026 Auction as they bought uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma for a whopping sum of Rs 14.20 Crore. The signing was made within seconds of them buying another uncapped player in the form of Prashant Veer who was bought for the same amount of money making both players the join most expensive signing as an uncapped player in IPL Auction history. 

Most expensive uncapped players in IPL auction
Player	Team	Price	Year
Prashant Veer	Chennai Super Kings	Rs 14.20 Crore	2025
Kartik Sharma	Chennai Super Kings	Rs 14.20 Crore	2025
Avesh Khan	Lucknow Super Giants	Rs 10 crore	2022
Krishnappa Gowtham	Chennai Super Kings	Rs 9.25 crore	2021
Shahrukh Khan	Punjab Kings	Rs 9 crore	2022
Rahul Tewatia	Gujarat Titans	Rs 9 crore	2022
Krunal Pandya	Mumbai Indians	Rs 8.8 crore	2018
Varun Chakravarthy	Kings XI Punjab	Rs 8.40 crore	2019

   

 

Mumbai Indians initiated the bidding for Kartik at his base price of ₹30 lakh, but the competition quickly intensified as Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants took the lead, pushing the price past ₹5 crore. CSK then joined the battle with KKR, significantly driving up the cost, and Sunrisers Hyderabad made a late attempt to disrupt the bidding. Ultimately, CSK emerged victorious, securing the 19-year-old for a remarkable ₹14.20 crore.

 

Kartik, a wicketkeeper from Rajasthan, will make his IPL debut this season. He has gained attention for his explosive lower-order hitting in domestic white-ball cricket, particularly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 133 runs in five matches at a strike rate over 160. Throughout his brief T20 career of 12 matches, Kartik has consistently maintained a strike rate above 160.

 

With this deal, Kartik becomes the joint-most expensive uncapped player in IPL history, alongside Prashant Veer, both of whom were bought by Chennai Super Kings for ₹14.20 crore.