Prithvi Shaw was the main attraction at the IPL 2026 mini auction in Dubai on Tuesday. That wasn’t because he went for a whopping sum, but as the forgotten IPL star made a sensational return to his original franchise, Delhi Capitals, and how!
Shaw had gone unsold ahead of IPL 2025, and it seemed like the story was going to repeat as there were no takers for the former India opener, not once, but twice. Despite an affordable base price of ₹75 lakh, Shaw was twice turned down by the franchises.
But as most cricket stories go, there was a twist in the end. Almost seven hours into the auction, Shaw featured a third time, alongside a list of players who had gone unsold earlier. This time, Delhi Capitals raised the paddle and secured Shaw’s services at the base price.
Disciplinary issues and fitness-related problems had turned Shaw’s career upside down. He fell out of favour with the DC management and was also forced out of the Mumbai Ranji squad. Shaw has been overlooked for national team selection since 2021.
The 26-year-old had an impressive Ranji Trophy season with Maharashtra, including a 72-ball 200 against Chandigarh. He also led Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but all that would have come to nothing had he gone unsold a third time in today’s auction.
Meanwhile, the 10 franchises did some serious business, starting with a cumulative purse of ₹237.55 crore. Australian star all-rounder Cameron Green was the first player to invite heavy bids, with CSK and KKR going aggressive. After a lengthy bidding war, the Knight Riders secured Green’s services for ₹25.20 crore.
Defending champions RCB secured the services of Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore. RCB took on KKR in a bidding battle that started at the batter’s base price of ₹2 crore. Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana was secured by KKR for ₹18 crore, making him the second costliest player of the auction.
Liam Livingstone had gone unsold in the first set, but when his name came up later in the afternoon, the Englishman had plenty of suitors, and SRH spent ₹13 crore to land him.
Prashant Veer, a 20-year-old uncapped all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, emerged as a player in demand, with CSK outbidding SRH with a massive bid of ₹14.2 crore, which is the highest amount paid for an uncapped player. The slow left-arm spinner, who is more popular for his big hits, had a base price of ₹30 lakh.
CSK did not stop there and splashed the cash on another uncapped young star, Kartik Sharma. Just moments after making Veer the costliest uncapped player in IPL auction, the former champions matched the amount (₹14.2 cr) to sign up the 19-year-old Rajasthani. The wicketkeeper batter impressed at the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, hitting at a strike rate in excess of 160.
David Miller was the first player to be sold, going for his base price of ₹2 crore to the Delhi Capitals. Devon Conway and Jake Fraser-McGurk were two other players in the first set who went unsold.