IPL Auction 2026: Which teams overpaid and who bagged the best bargains?

The auction for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) is done and dusted. All 10 teams have filled their squads to full capacity and are looking solid contenders for the title. The franchises spent a total of Rs 204.45 crore on 77 players, including 29 overseas stars, to lock in on their squads for the next season which begins March 2026.

Cameron Green was the biggest story of the auction as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped up the Australia all-rounder for a whooping sum of Rs 25.20 crore which is now the highest ever in the history of IPL auction. The other big takeaway from the event in Abu Dhabi was Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) pivot towards uncapped talent as they bought two untested domestic players for huge sums.

READ | IPL Auction 2026: Full List of Sold and Unsold Players

The auction was filled with some really smart choices and some highly surprising buys. Here we take a look at the franchises which overpaid to get some of their signings and the teams which collected multiple bargain deals.

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Overpaid: CSK

CSK entered the auction with the second biggest purse but had to wait for a long time to finally win the bidding wars they were engaging in. Since, CSK did not get their early targets, they absolutely broke their banks when uncapped players arrived.

ALSO READ: Who are Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, CSK’s mega uncapped purchases at IPL 2026 auction

CSK signed Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinning all-rounder Prashant Veer for an unprecedented sum of Rs 14.20 crore, the highest ever for an uncapped player. They also went behind young Rajasthan wicket-keeper batter Kartik Sharma and bought him in for Rs 14.20 crore again.

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As talented as Veer and Kartik are, the price tag will definitely play on their minds and CSK will have to rely on untested commodities in the upcoming season. These signings also left CSK’s lower middle order a little light.

Underpaid: DC

Delhi Capitals made some really smart buys early in the auction that helped them free up purse for their later buys. They bought the experience of South African veteran David Miller to bolster their lower middle order in just Rs 2 crore. If that was not enough, DC then went on to get England opener Ben Duckett at his base price of Rs 2 crore.

These two players will definitely start for the Capitals and the fact that they got both of them for just Rs 4 crore is a big steal. Also, they got a good back-up of Mitchell Starc for just Rs 2 crore in Lungi Ngidi. These smart buys helped them spend a little more on Auqib Nabi (Rs 8.4 crore) and Pathum Nissanka (Rs 4 crore).

Overpaid: LSG

Lucknow Super Giants had a weird auction where they made some smart acquisitions but also made a bizarre call towards the end.

LSG got Wanindu Hasaranga and Anrich Nortje for just Rs 2 crore each to start the auction on a good note. Towards the end, they bought Josh Inglis for Rs 8.60 crore. Inglis would not even be available for the full season and their top order is already brimming with a lot of talent. Add to it that they could not sign a replacement for David Miller to their side. So, an odd buy at the end which spoiled their auction a bit.

Underpaid: RCB

Royal Challengers Bengaluru went till Rs 23.50 crore for Venkatesh Iyer in last auction before they missed him. On Tuesday, RCB got Iyer for only Rs 7 crore, which can be considered as one of the big steals of the auction. The buy of Jordan Cox at Rs 2 crore was also a smart one.

RCB also signed two emerging players currently with the Indian U-19 squad. Left-hand batter Vihaan Malhotra and off-spinning all-rounder Kanishk Chouhan, who is rated highly by R Ashwin, were signed by RCB just at base price of Rs 30 lakh.