CSK bought two uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for Rs 14.20 Crore each.
The accelerated rounds featured further big purchases, including Pathum Nissanka, Jason Holder, Mustafizur Rahman, Liam Livingstone and Josh Inglis.
KKR will walk into the IPL 2026 players auction with the biggest purse, while five-time champions MI will have the smallest purse
PL 2026 mini auction: Cameron Green tops the list at Rs 25.20 cr. Check top 20 costliest buys, including Pathirana, Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, with teams and prices.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was an established India star even before Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma were born. They were literally in their nappies when the legend of 'Captain Cool' was taking shape during those formative years of the Indian Premier League. But if they put hands on their hearts, neither the 19-year-old keeper-batter Kartik nor the 20-year-old left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Veer would have thought that by Tuesday evening, they would jointly walk into the record books with bank-breaking deals of Rs 14.20 crore from Chennai Super Kings. More enticing than that is the opportunity of a lifetime to share the dressing room with none other than Dhoni, already 44 and still going strong. Whether keeper Kartik will get a look-in when Sanju Samson and Dhoni can don the big gloves or if Veer can be groomed as a long-term replacement of Ravindra Jadeja is a matter of debate. But Chennai Super Kings have displayed a clever switch in philosophy looking at the future when Ruturaj ...
Pathirana's previous stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) saw him play a vital role before his release after a modest IPL 2025 campaign.
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.
The 20-year-old left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, was first noticed while playing for Noida Super Kings in the UP T20 League.
Under the IPL's maximum-fee rule, an overseas player's auction fee is capped at the lower of the highest retention slab and the highest price fetched at the previous mega auction.
The IPL 2026 Auction is scheduled to begin on December 16 (Tuesday), 2025. The IPL mini auction 2026 will begin at 2:30 PM IST.
CSK will walk into the IPL 2026 auction with the second-largest purse of Rs 43.40 crore, only behind KKR
On December 16, IPL 2026 auction is scheduled to start at 2:30 PM IST in Abu Dhabi. All the ten IPL franchisees are set to spent around Rs 237.55 crore to fill up 77 available slots.
CSK have released 11 players, the most among the 10 franchises, as they attempt to reset after finishing bottom of the table for the first time in their IPL history
IPL 2026's retention list is defined by three themes: the blockbuster Jadeja-Samson-Curran swap, the release of several global stars, and franchises making sharp value
Pathirana's release follows two injury-affected seasons and a notable dip in form.
CSK MD Kasi Viswanathan reveals why the franchise made the tough call to trade Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026.
His return to the franchise that first dubbed him Rockstar marks a full-circle moment - but it also raises a key question: why would one of the IPL's top all-rounders accept a reduced salary now?
The batter, who has three IPL and three international centuries to his name, is seen as MS Dhoni's replacement in the squad, both as a leader and a wicketkeeper-batter.
Since this is not a mega auction, franchises have the freedom to retain or release as many players as they wish.
The move is termed surprising as CSK fans are questioning whether Sanju in the squad is worth sending their legend Ravindra Jadeja over to the other side