Key players like Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, and Jos Buttler also remained integral to the team's plans.
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.
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.
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.
The franchise, which has consistently been a strong contender since their debut in 2022, has largely kept their core intact, focusing on retaining key players for the upcoming season.
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
Aditya Birla Real Estate has partnered with Gujarat Titans as the principal sponsor for IPL 2026, aiming to strengthen brand presence and connect with fans across India through cricket
Birla Estates' partnership with the Gujarat Titans reflects the company's focus on connecting with India's youth and fostering shared experiences beyond real estate.
Since this is not a mega auction, franchises have the freedom to retain or release as many players as they wish.
IPL 2026 retention rules allow franchises to retain an unlimited number of players, with no cap on the number of capped Indian players, overseas players, or uncapped players they can keep
Reports suggest that Devon Conway, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, and Sam Curran may find themselves on CSK's release list
GT's Sai Sudharsan claimed the Orange Cap with 759 runs in 15 matches. He was followed by Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav, along with Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.
While there are only two teams in contention now, the tougher prediction lies in identifying who among the many batting superstars will clinch the Orange Cap.
In IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off an incredible chase, successfully reaching Gujarat Titans' target of 205 runs.
AB de Villiers and Robin Uthappa weigh in on MI's knockout win, Rohit Sharma's poise, and GT's missed chances
Rohit Sharma was MI's top scorer in the night with his fiery 81 runs innings
Kusal Mendis dropped Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav during the 1st innings while getting out in the 2nd innings via a hit wicket.