The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the upcoming edition is scheduled on December 16. Ahead of the auction, it will be interesting to see which player emerges as the most expensive buy this year.
The official social media handle of the cash-rich league has shared a post on its official social media handle in which the names of all expensive players from each edition have been mentioned.
1⃣8⃣ #TATAIPL auctions and some historic bids along the way 🔨💰
Who will join this list in the upcoming auction? 🤔
Follow the #TATAIPLAuction 2026 on December 16 on https://t.co/4n69KTSZN3 💻 pic.twitter.com/7mKa3x6TwD
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 9, 2025
The franchises may engage in a serious bid for the veteran batsman Quinton de Kock ahead of the auction. Having played 96 T20I matches for South Africa so far, the left-hander has smashed 2615 runs, including a century and 16 half-centuries. He also has 11,452 T20 runs under his name. Over the years, Quinton has served as one of the pillars for the Proteas` batting lineup across all formats of the game.
Rachin Ravindra is also in the race as he has scored 549 runs in 38 T20I matches for New Zealand. The franchises may also look at the 26-year-old batsman as a reliable option for the future. Ravindra has also registered 1922 runs in 116 T20 games.
Swashbuckling batsman Liam Livingstone can also be an option for the middle-order batting lineup. The right-handed batsman has been a valuable player for England in the lower order. He has garnered 955 runs in 60 T20I matches for the “Three Lions”.
Australia`s Steve Smith, who has been in fine touch, may be another player that the franchises may bid for. He has accumulated 1094 runs in 67 T20I matches for the Aussies.
Prithvi Shaw, who showcased his form in domestic cricket, will be one of the interesting players to see this season. Considering his recent form in the domestic leagues, will Shaw get a buyer in the IPL 2026 auction?
Pace spearhead Navdeep Saini can also bolster the bowling line-up of any team. So far, the pacer has played 87 T20 matches and has bagged 77 wickets. In the previous editions of the cash-rich league, Saini was seen making batsmen uncomfortable with his sheer pace.
Similarly, there are several players who can walk out with a hefty amount of money during the auction, scheduled on December 16.