5 players who returned to their old teams at IPL 2026 Auction ft. Quinton de Kock

The IPL 2026 auction, held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, proved to be a thrilling event, like almost every other auction. While some players received expected enormous bids, headlined by Cameron Green becoming the costliest overseas player in history, uncapped Indians ruled the roost.

There were also players who returned to their previous franchises as the team owners tried go back to the winning formula. Players returning to their previous team will also have a point to prove.

Below are the five players who returned to their old franchise in the IPL 2026 auction:

5) Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav in IPL 2020. (Credits: IPL X)

South Africa keeper-batter Quinton de Kock entered the auction at a base price of ₹1 crore, with the Mumbai Indians the only team entering the fray to sign him. The explosive left-handed batter played for the franchise from 2019 to 2021 and was part of their title victories in 2019 and 2020.

De Kock especially played a pivotal role in the 2020 edition, slamming 503 runs in 16 games at 35.92 with a promising strike rate of 140.50. The stylish southpaw had forged a solid opening combination with Rohit Sharma in IPL 2020, often setting the tone for Mumbai Indians' victory.

Although the five-time champions have retained Ryan Rickelton, de Kock could be the first-choice pick to open the innings.

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4) Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi. (Image Credits: Getty)

Although Rahul Tripathi has the power game, he hasn't been consistent in IPL and has never had a defining season. The right-handed batter was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 edition and had a season to forget, managing only 55 runs in five games, alongside a strike rate of 96.49. As a result, the Super Kings released him.

However, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bid for the 34-year-old, who entered the auction ahead of IPL 2026 at ₹75 lakh and snaffled him. Tripathi's one of best IPL seasons came for the Knight Riders in 2021 when he aggregated 397 runs in 17 matches; hence, a return to the franchise could spark his revival.

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3) Matt Henry

Matt Henry. (Image Credits: Getty)

New Zealand's new-ball seamer Matt Henry was part of the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) squad in 2014 and 2015 but did not get a game. Having previously played for the Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the right-arm seamer featured only in six games, taking two wickets.

But now as one of the most incisive new-ball bowlers, the 34-year-old reunited with the Super Kings, who bought him for a base price of ₹2 crore. Although Henry remains an injury-prone fast bowler, he is likely to be a certain starter due to CSK's inexperienced seam-bowling unit.

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2) Lungi Ngidi

Lungi Ngidi. (Image Credits: Getty)

South African seamer Lungi Ngidi had gone unsold in the first part of IPL 2026 auction but the Delhi Capitals came up with the sole and winning bid later for a base price of ₹2 crore. Ngidi was part of the Capitals even ahead of IPL 2024 but was ruled out with injury as Jake Fraser-McGurk took his place in the squad.

Although the right-arm quick remains an injury-prone bowler, he is a wily operator and holds potential to make inroads with the new ball. The 29-year-old is part of a solid pace-bowling unit, consisting of Mitchell Starc, Kyle Jamieson, T Natarajan and Dushmantha Chameera. Although Ngidi played only two matches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025, he managed to eke out four scalps.

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1) Tim Seifert

Tim Seifert during BBL 2025-26 match. (Credits: Getty)

One of the most powerful openers in the T20 franchise circuit, New Zealand's Tim Seifert has played only three games. Despite some telling performances in franchise cricket, Seifert initially went unsold in this auction but was later snapped by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price of ₹1.5 crore. The 31-year-old had featured only in one game for the Knight Riders in 2021 and made two runs.

He then played a couple of matches for the Delhi Capitals in 2022 before going unsold consistently. But the keeper-batter made a statement hundred for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 match against Brisbane Heat, a day before IPL auction to underline his importance. With KKR also purchasing fellow Kiwi Finn Allen in the auction, it remains to be seen who will open the innings in the 2026 edition.