IPL auction 2026: Australia's Cameron Green becomes most expensive overseas player in tournament's history
Cameron Green most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League history after being picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for £2.09m in auction ahead of 2026 season; England's Ben Duckett signed by Delhi Capitals; 2026 IPL to run from March 26 to May 31
Tuesday 16 December 2025 12:33, UK
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green has become the most expensive overseas player in IPL history after being picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.77m (£2.09m) in the auction ahead of the 2026 season.
The 26-year-old - who is currently part of Australia's Ashes squad taking on England - is also the third-biggest purchase in the tournament overall after Indian duo Rishabh Pant (£2.54m) and Shreyas Iyer (£2.51m) joined Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings respectively ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Green was at the centre of a bidding war, with Knight Riders beating off competition from Chennai Super Kings to land the player after Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals had made earlier offers.
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Green will only be able to take $2.08m (INR 18 crore) of the fee due to a maximum salary cap imposed by the IPL on overseas players at mini-auctions, with the remainder used by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for player welfare.
The Australian has previously played in the IPL for Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bengaluru but missed the 2025 edition with a back injury.
England's Ben Duckett - also part of the ongoing Ashes series - was signed by Delhi Capitals for approximately £170,000, with South Africa batter David Miller also joining Capitals for the same figure.
Eight England players already had IPL deals for next season, with Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans), Will Jacks (Mumbai Indians), Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals) and Brydon Carse (Sunrisers Hyderabad) all retained by their respective franchises.
Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell were also kept on by 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Jamie Overton by Chennai Super Kings, while Sam Curran was traded from Chennai to Rajasthan.
Elsewhere at Tuesday's auction, Knight Riders also forked out $1.97 million (£1.5m) for Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesa Pathirana.
The record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player was also broken as all-rounder Prashant Veer, 20, and wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma, 19, went to Chennai for $1.64m (£1.2m) each.
The 2026 IPL will run from March 26 to May 31.
