Five Most Expensive Buys In IPL 2026 Auction; KKR Spend ₹43.20 Crore On 2 Stars

IPL 2026 auction saw several eye-catching bids, with Cameron Green emerging as the costliest player of the event.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spent a massive ₹25.20 crore to secure the Australian all-rounder, making him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history. KKR further strengthened their squad by investing ₹18 crore in Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana.

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made headlines by spending over ₹28 crore on two uncapped players, underlining their long-term planning.

Here’s a look at five most expensive buys of the IPL 2026 auction:

Cameron Green - ₹25.20 crore (KKR)

KKR won a fierce bidding war for Cameron Green, edging out CSK, whose final bid stood at ₹25 crore. With this deal, Green surpassed Mitchell Starc’s previous record to become the costliest foreign player in IPL history.

Matheesha Pathirana - ₹18 crore (KKR)

KKR used their strong purse to land Matheesha Pathirana for ₹18 crore. The Sri Lankan pacer became the most expensive player from Sri Lanka ever sold in an IPL auction.

Prashant Veer - ₹14.20 crore (CSK)

Uncapped all-rounder Prashant Veer impressed in the UP T20 League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 192 runs at a strike rate of 160 and taking nine wickets in seven matches. CSK secured him for ₹14.20 crore despite his base price being just ₹30 lakh, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a bidding battle.

Kartik Sharma - ₹14.20 crore (CSK)

CSK also went big for Kartik Sharma, winning a close contest against Sunrisers Hyderabad. After SRH pushed the bid to ₹14 crore, CSK sealed the deal at ₹14.20 crore.

Mustafizur Rahman - Rs 9.20 crore (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured services of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore. KKR beat out Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals for the 'Fizz', bolstering their already strong pace attack.

Aaqib Dar - ₹8.40 crore (DC)

Delhi Capitals acquired Aaqib Dar after an intense duel with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Starting from a base price of ₹30 lakh, the bids escalated rapidly before DC clinched him at ₹8.40 crore.

Ravi Bishnoi - ₹7.20 crore (RR)

Rajasthan Royals brought in leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.20 crore. Previously with Lucknow Super Giants, Bishnoi is now set to play for his third IPL franchise, having earlier represented Punjab Kings.

Venkatesh Iyer - ₹7 crore (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore. Although KKR showed interest, they backed out after ₹6.80 crore. Notably, Iyer had fetched ₹23.75 crore in the previous season, making this one of the auction’s biggest price drops.

Jason Holder - ₹7 crore (GT)

The versatile West Indies all-rounder, Jason Holder, was secured by the Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹7 crore following an intense bidding battle with Chennai Super Kings, adding crucial pace-bowling depth to their squad.