IPL 2026: From Venkatesh Iyer to Ravi Bishnoi to Cameron Green - 5 cricketers who might fetch big money in mini auction

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Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are among the Indian cricketers who are likely to fetch big money at the IPL 2026 auction. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is also another name who will be on radar of most of the teams.

Ravi Bishnoi was released by Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2026 retentions.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is just round the corner with less than two weeks to go before a close to 400 cricketers go under the hammer at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Over one thousand players have registered themselves for the mini-auction on December 16, which will be further pruned down to a lesser number, yet to be released by the BCCI.

Unlike a mega auction, a mini-auction is always tricky as the franchises look to fill up a few vacant slots based on their requirements. That's where the auction dynamics come in to play as several top names might miss out sometimes. In such cases, the placing of the names in serial order in the list also plays a big role for a player's chances in getting picked.

However, fans will miss several big names in the IPL 2026 auction as the likes of Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali have withdrawn from the bidding war this time and opted for Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead. Glenn Maxwell will also not be a part of IPL 2026 auction after the Australian all-rounder opted out after 14 long seasons.

The absence of several big stars won't stop the drama as a bunch of current young talents are expected to fetch big money in the IPL 2026 mini auction.

5 cricketers likely to attract big in IPL 2026 auction

PlayerRoleWhy will they attract big money

Cameron Green (Australia)	All-rounder	A pace bowling all-rounder, Cameron Green provides stability to any batting order. An explosive right-handed batter, Green can also bowl medium fast, a rare quality for a player in international cricket. Notably, Green has already scored an IPL hundred for Mumbai Indians in 2023, before he was traded to RCB in 2024. With KKR and CSK entering IPL 2026 auction with high purse, both teams would certainly jump for Green.
Ravi Bishnoi (India)	Leg-spinner	At a time when most of the franchises have retained their top spin options, Lucknow Super Giants surprisingly released leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. With an average of 12 wickets per season, Bishnoi will be on high demand during the IPL 2026 auction. Bishnoi already has 72 wickets in IPL and 61 scalps for the Indian team in 42 T20Is for the national team.
Liam Livingstone (England)	All-rounder	Although Liam Livingstone isn't a regular in IPL since he made his debut in 2019. Despite that, the Englishman has always attracted huge bids from the franchises across the globe for his brutal power-hitting. His ability to bowl both off-spin and leg-spin makes Livingstone a high-demand player for the franchise teams. With a strike-rate of around 158 in IPL, Livingstone's ability to finish the games in the middle-order is a big bonus point for all the teams.
Venkatesh Iyer (India)	All-rounder	A proven customer in IPL, Venkatesh Iyer is a versatile cricketers who can bat both as an opener and in the middle-order. To add more to his armoury, Iyer's medium pace also adds to his strengths. Iyer was bought for a staggering ₹23.75 crore at last year's auction by KKR, but was released by the franchise following a below-par season in IPL 2025.
Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka)	Pace bowler	Known as 'Baby Malinga' due to his slingy-arm action as that of Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana will engage huge bidding war in the IPL 2026 auction. A death-over specialist, Pathirana's record of picking crucial wickets at the death and bowling yorkers consistently, makes his a high-demand player. He was released by CSK due to injury concerns.