IPL 2026 mini auction in Abu Dhabi on Dec 16! Find player retention deadlines, trading news, and major player swaps. Don`t miss the latest IPL 2026 auction updates!
The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, marking the third consecutive year this cricket event is being hosted overseas. According to reports by ESPNcricinfo, the trend of international venues began with the 2024 auction in Dubai, followed by the two-day mega auction in Jeddah last year for the 2025 season.
Venue and date: Third overseas IPL auction in a row
For the upcoming season, the IPL 2026 auction will be a mini auction, unlike the previous mega editions. The event will be completed in one day. All ten IPL franchises have been directed to submit their list of retained and released players by 3 PM IST on November 15.
Once the retention lists are finalised, the IPL governing body will share a pool of registered players, allowing teams to shortlist names for the final auction list. This finalised player pool will form the core of the auction proceedings in Abu Dhabi.
The trading window, which opened right after the conclusion of IPL 2025, will stay active until a week before the auction. It will reopen after the auction and remain open until one month before the 2026 season begins. However, players bought in the auction cannot be traded during this period.
Player trades ahead of IPL 2026 auction
Ahead of the December event, the IPL has already witnessed four confirmed trades involving five teams, including one of the biggest swaps in IPL history.
In a landmark move, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals (RR), while RR received star all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in return.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have made two all-cash trades — signing Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹2 crore and Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹2.6 crore. Additionally, LSG brought in Arjun Tendulkar from MI for his base price of ₹30 lakh.
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