BCCI Finalizes Auction List at 350 Players; Quinton de Kock Added on Franchise Request

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalized the list of players for the IPL 2026 auction, drastically reducing the initial longlist of registrants by removing 1,005 names. A total of 350 players will now go under the hammer.

Out of a massive initial registration list, the BCCI has shortlisted only 350 players for the auction. Quinton de Kock: South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has made a surprise return to the auction list, despite not originally registering. His inclusion reportedly came after a personal request from one of the franchises, possibly influenced by his recent ODI century against India.

De Kock has set his base price at Rs 1 crore, a 50% decrease from the Rs 2 crore base price he commanded in the previous mega auction. A total of 35 new names were added to the final shortlist, including 12 overseas players and 23 Indian domestic players, who had not been part of the initial submission.

Sri Lanka's Traveen Mathew, Binura Fernando, Kusal Perera, and Dunith Wellalage; Afghanistan's Arab Gul; and West Indies' Akeem Auguste.Vishnu Solanki, Parikshit Valsangkar, Sadek Hussain, and Izaz Sawariya.

The auction will take place on Tuesday, December 16, starting at 1:00 PM UAE time (2:30 PM IST). The event will be held at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi.

The bidding will begin with a full round of capped players, sorted by specialism (batters, all-rounders, wicket-keeper/batters, fast bowlers, and spin bowlers). The same order will then be followed for uncapped players.

The first accelerated round will cover players from number 71 to 350. Franchises will then submit names of unpresented and unsold players from the full 350-player list for further accelerated presentation.