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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a notable last-minute adjustment to the player pool for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, which is scheduled for December 16.
BCCI updates IPL 2026 auction roster with 9 new players including Swastik Chikara
Just hours after announcing the official shortlist of 350 players, the BCCI released a revised document adding nine more players, increasing the final list to 359. This late change ensures that deserving players who may have been inadvertently missed are included. Among these additions, the most high-profile name is the uncapped Indian batter Swastik Chikara, who was surprisingly absent from the initial list despite having been part of the title-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad in the IPL 2025 season. His prior association with a championship team and his impressive performances in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League made his initial omission a point of public discussion.
New domestic and associate talent with their base price
The majority of the nine new players are Indian, further strengthening the domestic talent pool for the auction. These include five additional uncapped Indian cricketers. Notably, KL Shrijith, a wicket-keeper batter from Karnataka who previously represented Mumbai Indians (MI), has been added. Other domestic names making the final cut are Tripura’s Manisankar Murasingh, Hyderabad’s Chama Milind, Uttarakhand’s Rahul Raj Namala and Jharkhand’s Virat Singh. Milind and Singh are not new to the IPL circuit, as both have previous experience in the league.
- Swastik Chikara (India) – INR 30 lakh
- KL Shrijith (India) – INR 30 lakh
- Manisankar Murasingh (India) – INR 30 lakh
- Chama Milind (India) – INR 30 lakh
- Rahul Raj Namala (India) – INR 30 lakh
- Virat Singh (India) – INR 30 lakh
Overseas inclusions and strategic base prices
The three overseas players added at the last minute are positioned at a slightly higher base price, reflecting their international experience and value. Australian all-rounder Chris Green and South African fast bowler Eathan Bosch (brother of MI’s Corbin Bosch) have both been assigned a base price of Rs 75 lakh and Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh, the only associate player in the auction list. This price point suggests that franchises view them as valuable, experienced tactical options rather than premium, big-money buys.
In a separate, high-profile addition, the veteran South African wicket-keeper-batter Quinton de Kock was also included at the special request of a franchise, despite not registering initially. De Kock, a consistent match-winner, has set his price at Rs 1 crore, a deliberate step down from his previous auction listing, likely intended to make him a more appealing and auction-table certainty for potential buyers.
- Chris Green (Australia) – INR 75 lakh
- Eathan Bosch (South Africa) – INR 75 lakh
- Virandeep Singh (Malaysia) – INR 30 lakh
Nationality correction and IPL 2026 mini-auction structure
The BCCI also rectified an administrative error concerning the listing of leg-spinner Nikhil Chaudhary, changing his nationality from Indian to Australian, which impacts the team’s overseas quota, though his base price remains at Rs 40 lakh. These final adjustments prepare the ground for the December 16 auction. According to media reports, the auction is set to skip the traditional marquee set of players, instead commencing directly with a set of capped batters, a move that could lead to immediate, aggressive bidding for players like the top-tier Rs 2 crore entrants, which include India’s Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi. The late additions, particularly those at the lowest base prices, offer teams crucial low-cost depth as they look to fill the final 77 available squad slots.
Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Players with highest base price of INR 2 crore – Cameron Green to Venkatesh Iyer
