The official player list has been finalised ahead of next Tuesday’s 2026 Indian Premier League auction in Abu Dhabi which will be conducted with new salary cap restrictions.
Culled down from the 1,390 applicants who initially registered, 350 players will go under the hammer just a day before the third Ashes Test begins in Adelaide.
The list includes 20 Australians, headlined by current Test squad members Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis and Beau Webster.
An additional 10 Australians have already been retained by their IPL clubs.
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How will overseas player salary cap impact IPL bidding?
Having successfully returned from injury, all-rounder Cameron Green is expected to attract the most interest of the available Australians.
However it’s unlikely the West Australian star will earn anywhere near the then-record AU$3.15 million the Mumbai Indians shelled out for him back in 2023, thanks to rule changes that have imposed a team-wide salary cap of INR 18 crore (~AU$3.05 million) for overseas players.
But don’t feel too sorry for the towering 26-year-old—Green has set his base price at the highest allowed amount of INR 2 crore (~AU$335,000), so at worst he still looks set for another handsome T20 payday.
It should also be noted IPL teams can still choose to exceed the salary cap limit on overseas players, but if they do the successful franchise will be required to pay the excess amount towards player development programs run by the BCCI.
This year’s IPL auction begins at 1:00pm (Abu Dhabi time) on Tuesday 16 December, which is 7pm AEDT.
The 2026 IPL will be played between 21 March–31 May 2026.
Australians in 2026 IPL Player Auction
- Cameron Green
- Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Spencer Johnson
- Steve Smith
- Sean Abbott
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Daniel Sams
- Matthew Short
- Josh Inglis
- Ben McDermott
- Cooper Connolly
- Will Sutherland
- Beau Webster
- Riley Meredith
- Jhye Richardson
- Jason Behrendorff
- Wes Agar
- Billy Stanlake
- Nikhil Chaudhary
- Jack Edwards
Australians retained by IPL clubs for 2026
- Nathan Ellis (CSK)
- Mitchell Starc (DC)
- Mitchell Marsh (LSG)
- Marcus Stoinis (PBKS)
- Mitch Owen (PBKS)
- Xavier Bartlett (PBKS)
- Tim David (RCB)
- Josh Hazlewood (RCB)
- Travis Head (SRH)
- Pat Cummins (SRH)