IPL mini auction: Cameron Green may trigger bidding war in Abu Dhabi

Come the afternoon of Tuesday, 16 December and the Etihad arena in Abu Dhabi will grab the attention of the cricketing world as the IPL mini auction takes place. This is the third year on the trot that the event is being held in the Middle East, with Dubai hosting it in 2023 and the mega auction in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah in 2024.

While only 77 slots will be filled from a cumulative purse of Rs 237.55 crore for the 10 IPL teams, the mini auction may throw up some real, unexpected money-spinners. The choice being limited, the franchises have a history of breaking the bank and this time, all eyes will be on Australia’s Cameron Green, set to attract a prohibitive Rs 20 crore-plus tag as at least two leading franchises look for an overseas allrounder.

‘’We will certainly be looking at an allrounder in place of Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja). It’s no mean task to replace him for what he brought to the table but there is no option,’’ revealed Kasi Vishwanathan, the CEO of Chennai Super Kings, during a recent chat with National Herald.

The other team which will be eyeing Green, who gave the last mega auction a skip owing to injury, is Kolkata Knight Riders, who have let go of the long-serving Andre Russell.

Here is a look at five players who could fetch mega deals at the Etihad arena, adjacent to the Formula One track:

Cameron Green (allrounder, Australia)   

The 26-year-old gentle giant, who created a stir when Mumbai Indians bought him for a whopping Rs 17.5 crore in 2023, provided them with decent value for money before being traded off to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Last season, Green scored 255 runs in 13 matches for RCB at an average of 31.87 and picked up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.61.

Forced to miss the last mega auction due to injury, Green is the focal point of the mini auction, with KKR and CSK — the top two in terms of purse strength — desperate to fill the slot of overseas allrounder. While Green has listed himself as a batter (base price of Rs 2 crore), it is understood there is no directive from Cricket Australia restricting his bowling.

Liam Livingstone (Allrounder, England)

The hard-hitting England allrounder, a unique package of handy leg-spin and gamechanging lower-order batting, was a member of RCB’s title-winning squad this year but was released. After a strong 2025 overall in T20s, during which he has scored an aggregate of 840 runs at a strike rate of 148.93, the man with a base price of Rs 2 crore may trigger a bidding war.

In the 2025 Hundred, Livingstone blasted Rashid Khan for 4, 6, 6, 6, 4 to lead Birmingham Phoenix to a comfortable win and end Oval Invincibles’ unbeaten run in the season. Not just KKR and CSK, but even Lucknow Super Giants, who released David Miller, are likely to look at Livingstone as a finisher.

Matheesha Pathirana (fast bowler, Sri Lanka)

The slinger from Sri Lanka, on whom former CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni pinned his hopes after bringing him on board as a replacement player in 2022, is back in the reckoning. CSK has released him but Pathirana, who turned 23, is currently in action for Sharjah Warriorz in the IL T20 in Dubai, a tournament which will put his match fitness to test.

Thanks to an excellent economy rate, Matheesha has listed himself at the maximum base price of Rs 2 crore as a number of franchises are in need of an overseas fast bowler, including both CSK and KKR as well as last year’s runners-up Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Venkatesh Iyer (batter, India)

The 2026 season could be one of resurrection for Venkatesh Iyer, who clearly folded under the pressure of the Rs 23.75 crore price tag for KKR last year. He fired only in fits and starts, and it became clear that the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise would not be retaining him this season.

However, given Venkatesh’s flexibility to bat in any position, it won’t be a surprise if KKR pitches for him again, as it needs some solid top-order batters — albeit at a much lower price tag. The capped Madhya Pradesh batter, a good thinker of the game, has priced himself at a maximum base price of Rs 2 crore.

Ravi Bishnoi (leg spinner, India)

The wrist spinner, released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after four seasons, will look to re-invent himself after he was overshadowed by newcomer Digvesh Rathi in the 2025 season. A member of the Under-19 World Cup assembly line, he started off on an extremely promising note for Punjab Kings but has not been able to create the same impact over the past few years.

However, with very few wrist spinners in the pool, Bishnoi is likely to garner attention at a base price of Rs 2 crore, especially since Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are looking for a wrist spinner. CSK too could look at him as an option even if not too many wrist spinners have made a big impact at their home base Chepauk.