The IPL 2026 auction has begun in Abu Dhabi, where the fate of 369 players will be decided. The 10 franchises need to fill 77 slots, with each allowed a maximum squad size of 25 players, including up to eight overseas players. Holding the hammer once again will be Mallika Sagar, the first-ever female auctioneer in the IPL, who will be at the helm for the fourth consecutive time.
The 50-year-old Sagar first grabbed the spotlight during the 2023 IPL auction, where she ably took charge after veteran auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed. Since then, Sagar has led the 2024 mini-auction, last year’s mega-auction, and now the 2026 IPL auction.
Who is Mallika Sagar?
Born in 1975 in Mumbai, Sagar holds a degree in Art History from Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia. At the age of 26, she became the first Indian woman auctioneer at Christie’s in New York. Her first brush with auctioneering came when she was reading a book whose protagonist was a senior auctioneer.
She later returned to Mumbai and collaborated with institutions like Pundole’s Art Gallery, which helped cement her position in the auctioneering world.
Sagar stepped into the sporting spotlight when she became the first woman to conduct the Pro Kabaddi League auction in 2021. She later went on to become the first-ever auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League.
After her successful run in the WPL auction, Sagar was included as a standby during the IPL 2022 auction. Her major breakthrough came a year later during the 2023 IPL auction following Hugh Edmeades’ health scare.
Cameron Green headlines early action
The IPL 2026 auction got off to a flying start on Tuesday as Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹25.2 crore. Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and KKR were the three franchises in the race for Green, but CSK maxed out at ₹25 crore.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians managed to buy back Quinton de Kock for the wicketkeeper-batter’s base price of ₹1 crore. Delhi Capitals snapped up England wicketkeeper-batter Ben Duckett for his base price of ₹2 crore, while KKR bought New Zealand top-order batter Finn Allen for ₹2 crore.
Some of the big names to go unsold so far include England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Smith. Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Indian wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat also failed to find buyers in Abu Dhabi.
