This Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Auction December 16 in Abu Dhabi, with branding planned It will be the third straight year that the event will take place outside India. The 2024 auction in Dubai was the first edition following the 2025 Mega auction in Jeddah and now Abu Dhabi has joined the growing list of global hosts for one of Cricket’s most anticipated events.
Unlike last year’s mega-auction, the 2026 event will be a one-day mini-auction, but is expected to be tight and strategically important as teams change their squads ahead of the new season.
IPL franchises have until November 15 to finalize deals and releases
Before the auction, franchises must submit a list of players they want to keep or release from the 2025 squad. The deadline for this process is November 15th at 3 PM.
Once the care is confirmed, BTCI will send the franchises branded player pool. Teams will then select players from this list, after which the IPL Governing Council will finalize the official auction pool. This multi-step process ensures that the final roster only includes players actively pursued by teams.
The trade window remains active for a week before the IPL 2026 Auction
The IPL trading window, which opens immediately after the 2025 season, will remain active for up to a week after the auction. It will then be reopened after the auction and will continue until one month before the start of the 2026 IPL season.
But one important rule remains unchanged: teams are not allowed to trade any players acquired in the 2026 auction.
Four trades were completed as teams began rebuilding teams
Groups and teams approaching the 2026 season are already changing their rosters. So far, four confirmed trades involving three franchises have been completed.
Fifth champion Mumbai Indians (mi) It has been the busiest part to date, completing two cashes:
- Shardul Thakur was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
- Sherfane Rutherford was acquired by Gujarat Titans (GT).
Read: Suresh Raina picked two star players Mumbai Indians should keep ahead of IPL 2026
Both players bring versatility and depth with Thakur offering India-level all-round ability and Rutherford bolstering Rutherford with electric hitting.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in a separate trade, was acquired Arjun Tendulkar from MI at its base price. The young left-arm pacer will look for more opportunities to showcase his development.
These early trades mean teams are aggressively preparing for the mini-auction, aiming to fill specific roles well before the hammer drops in Abu Dhabi.
Read: IPL 2026 – Aaron Finch Names Players To Keep Ahead Of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Mini-Auction
