3 teams who should target Steve Smith in IPL 2026 Auction ft. RR

Steve Smith captained Australia to an eight-wicket victory over England in the second Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane. With the comprehensive win, the Aussies took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Australia had earlier beaten England by eight wickets in the first Test in Perth.

Seasoned left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc was named Player of the Match for his all-round brilliance in the pink-ball Test in Brisbane (6/75, 77 & 2-64). Skipper Smith also played his part, scoring a brisk 61 off 85 in the first innings and clobbering 23* off nine in the second essay, hitting two fours and two sixes.

With his blazing cameo in the second innings, Smith almost gave a mini-audition for the upcoming IPL auction. In this listicle, we look at three teams that could target the Australian batting superstar at the IPL 2026 auction.

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#1 Delhi Capitals (DC)

Delhi Capitals (DC) had a forgettable IPL 2025 season overall. They began the edition in stunning fashion, with four consecutive wins. However, their weak top-order let the team down in a big way, which was one of the major reasons behind the franchise not qualifying for the playoffs.

The likes of Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk failed to get DC off to flying starts in the powerplay. Delhi tried a few other players as well at the top, but nothing worked for them. DC will need to revamp their top-order as they build a side for the IPL 2026 edition.

Smith could be a top-order option they can explore at the mini-auction. He has the versatility and the talent to score at a rapid pace. Delhi go into the IPL 2026 auction with a purse of ₹21.80 crore and five overseas slots left. They have enough money in the bank to try and go after Smith.

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#2 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released some big names ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They let go Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. All of these players made significant contributions for the franchise with the bat at some point during their association.

It would be fair to say that the exits of the likes of Russell and De Kock have weakened KKR's overseas batting resources. They would thus need to add to their overseas batting depth at the IPL 2026 auction. Smith is an option they can ponder upon, considering that he offers a lot more than just batting talent.

KKR will head into the IPL 2026 auction with a whopping purse of ₹64.30 crore, the biggest of all 10 franchises, and six overseas slots left to fill. They have enough reasons to try and target the veteran Aussie star at the IPL 2026 auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

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#3 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) would be looking for a new captain after Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. While Jadeja is experienced, he is unlikely to be handed the leadership after his poor experience with CSK in the role.

Among retained players, RR have Riyan Parag, who stepped into the captain's role for a number of games in IPL 2025 due to Samson's injury. There is opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been a key batter for the franchise in recent seasons. However, both are relatively young and RR would ideally want someone with a decent amount of experience in the role.

Of late, most IPL franchises have preferred Indian captains. In case an overseas captain struggles to perform, things get rather tricky given the cap on foreign players in a playing XI. However, there is also the case of Pat Cummins, who has been brilliant as leader for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Smith is also a proven performer when it comes to leadership, so he could be RR's choice for captain.