The Indian Premier League 2026 auction will most likely to take place in Abu Dhabi next month. There were rumours that the players in IPL 2026 auction would go under the hammer in New Delhi, but SportsTak understands that the tournament's governing council, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), decided to host the event overseas.
A source close to development told Sports Tak that the governing council is working on finalising the date and venue, as of now, it's 15-16th December. At least 3 franchisees and one GC official said it's Abu Dhabi, and the final confirmation will come in a few days.
Notably, it will be a mini auction as the mega auction of the marquee event took place last year in Saudi Arabia. This will be the third consecutive time that the auction will take place overseas, following Dubai (2023) and Jeddah (2024).
IPL 2026 retention
The deadline for all the franchises to submit their list of retained players for IPL 2026 by November 15. Among 10 teams, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and inagural edition champions Rajasthan Royals are making headlines as there are reports that RR skipper Sanju Samson will be traded to the Chennai-based franchise with Ravindra Jadeja. There are rumours that CSK will also look to make massive changes in their squad after finishing at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2025, with only four victories in 14 matches.
RCB enter as defending champions
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will enter the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as defending champions as the Rajat Patidar-led side defeated Punjab Kings in the final to win their inagural title at iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. There are chances that the franchise will not look for a lot of changes in their squad for the 19th edition. However, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar has an injury and there are speculations that he will most likely to miss the initial stages of the tournament.