India’s out-of-favour batter, Abhimanyu Easwaran is the last-minute entry into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction. Easwaran registered for a base price of Rs 30 lakh as he still remains uncapped despite travelling with the Test squad on tours. But, he was not among the list of 350 shortlisted players. Later, a franchise forwarded his name again requesting for a late inclusion.
As per a report by Cricbuzz, Easwaran is set to go under the hammer in the upcoming auction. The report further mentioned that a few players have been added to the list that was made public last week. The franchises will be informed about it in the pre-auction meeting in Abu Dhabi.
Easwaran turns heads in SMAT 2025
While Bengal did not qualify for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) Super League stage, Easwaran finished as their top run-scorer. From seven innings, he scored 266 runs at an average of 44.33 and strike rate of 152. Against Punjab, he scored an unbeaten 130 off just 66 balls in an unsuccessful run chase. He also scored a half-century in successful run chase against Services.
“A few things that I have been training on worked well [against Punjab]. One of them is exploring different areas of the field. For example, the switch hits and the reverse sweeps came into play. Being able to access different parts of the ground and find a way to get boundaries in every over, almost. Being able to find boundaries consistently was important, especially when chasing such a big target,” Easwaran had told Sportstar after scoring his second T20 century.
Easwaran’s T20 career in numbers
So far, the 30-year-old has played 41 T20s. The 30-year-old has 1,242 runs at an average of 38.81 and strike rate of 132.97. In addition to two tons, he has six half-centuries in the format as well.
Question mark on Bangladesh players' availability
Bangladesh players may miss a few matches in IPL 2026 as they are scheduled to play six white-ball games against New Zealand in April. This will mean that franchises will be reluctant to rope them in.
Here is the list of Bangladesh players who have been shortlisted for the auction -
Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 2 crore), Rishad Hossain (Rs 75 lakh), Taskin Ahmed (Rs 75 lakh), Tanzim Hasan Sakib (Rs 75 lakh), Nahid Rana (Rs 75 lakh), Rakibul Hasan (Rs 30 lakh) and Shoriful Islam (Rs 75 lakh).