Dates for the 2026 IPL auction revealed as it is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, third straight year for overseas auction.
The IPL auction dates for 2026 have been decided. It will happen in Abu Dhabi on December 16. The IPL auction will take place abroad for the third time this year. The auction was held abroad for the first time in Dubai in 2024. In November 2024, the two-day mega auction for the 2025 season took place in Jeddah.
The 2026 edition will be a full-day event, much like all mini auctions. By 3 p.m. IST on November 15, teams must first sort the list of players they wish to keep and cut from their 2025 rosters. They will then receive a shortlist of players from the registered pool. The IPL will next finalise the auction pool by trimming that lengthy list.
After the 2025 season, the trade window will remain open until one week before the auction, at which point it will restart till one month before the 2026 IPL season begins. A player who will be purchased at the 2026 auction cannot be traded by any of the ten teams.
There have been four confirmed deals between five teams thus far. This includes the most well-known player exchange in IPL history, in which the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals in exchange for the all-rounders Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja.
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur and Sherfane Rutherford were acquired by the five-time champion Mumbai Indians on Thursday in all-cash transactions from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 2 crore and Gujarat Titans (GT) for INR 2.60 crore, respectively. Arjun Tendulkar was acquired by LSG from MI at his base price of INR 30 lakh in a different transaction.
IPL 2026 is scheduled to take place between March 15 and May 31.