Preparations are underway for the mini-auction of the 19th season of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

A total of 359 players have been shortlisted, and 77 slots are up for grabs. The names of the players in Set 1 have now been released, giving fans a glimpse of who might be the first to go under the hammer.

The first set includes Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Shahbaz Khan, David Miller, and Prithvi Shaw.

Five of these players have a base price of ₹2 crore, while Prithvi Shaw is set at ₹75 lakh. Once the auction begins, the names from Set 1 will be called sequentially, making it certain that the first player bid on will be one of these six.

Despite being a mini-auction, the event promises plenty of action as several high-profile players have been released by franchises and are now back in the bidding pool. Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings have the largest available purses, making them the likely top spenders.

Kolkata Knight Riders: ₹64.30 crore

Chennai Super Kings: ₹43.40 crore

Sunrisers Hyderabad: ₹25.50 crore

Lucknow Super Giants: ₹22.95 crore

Delhi Capitals: ₹21.80 crore

Rajasthan Royals: ₹16.50 crore

Royal Challengers Bangalore: ₹16.40 crore

Gujarat Titans: ₹12.90 crore

Punjab Kings: ₹11.50 crore

Mumbai Indians: ₹2.75 crore

The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is provisionally scheduled to commence around March 15, 2026. The tournament window is expected to run for 78 days, concluding with the final match on May 31, 2026.

This timeline aligns with the traditional schedule of the tournament, though it is slightly later than usual due to the preceding ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which India co-hosts and concludes in early March 2026.

The 19th edition of the league will feature all ten franchises playing a total of 84 matches under the popular double round-robin format, with a return to the full home and away model.

The 19th edition of the league will feature all ten franchises playing a total of 84 matches under the popular double round-robin format, with a return to the full home and away model.