The IPL 2026 mini auction was held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (December 15). We’ve seen many surprises this year, but the biggest surprise came in the form of uncapped Indian players.
Prashant Veer, a 20-year old left-arm spin allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik Sharma, a 19-year old wicketkeeper from Rajasthan, became the most expensive Indian buys ever in the history of IPL. Both of these players went to the Chennai Super Kings for a whopping INR 14.20 crores each. The previous record for the highest uncapped player was held by Avesh Khan (INR 10 crore).
Prashant Veer played in the Noida Super Kings in the UPT20 League. He impressed everyone with his performances and was nicknamed “Miller” for his appetite for six-hitting. He made 320 runs at a strike rate of 155 and took 8 wickets as well. Due to his exploits, he was fast-tracked into senior cricket. After an extraordinary performance in the league, he played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Under-23s.
During the mini auction, his base price was set for INR 30 Lakh, but the bidding for him skyrocketed fast. MI and LSG started the initial bids, and CSK joined in later. Eventually, he went to CSK for a whopping INR 14.20 crores.
After picking up Veer, CSK started bidding aggressively for Kartik Sharma from the next set of uncapped wicketkeepers. Once again, the bidding was started by MI and LSG. After that, an intense battle followed between LSG, KKR, and CSK, and eventually between CSK and SRH. After the bid reached INR 14.20 crore, SRH dropped from the race, and CSK snatched up Kartik as well.
Kartik Sharma emerged from the Rajasthan Premier League in 2023. Now, two years later, he became a hot commodity in the IPL. He is a serial six-hitter, and CSK was so impressed with his ability. In 11 T20 innings, Kartik has smashed 28 sixes. He also has an impressive strike rate of 162.92 in the T20 format. He was also the highest six-hitter in the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also trained with CSK last season, and that is why CSK went big for him.
