Aakash Chopra picks top five expensive overseas players in IPL 2026 Auction; ranks discarded England batter at No.2 

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra predicted the top five expensive overseas acquisitions at the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction. Amid some high-profile releases and retirements, there is an overwhelming demand for overseas players as franchises look to complete their squad ahead of the next edition.

Aakash Chopra named three candidates for the No.5 spot, with the South African pair of David Miller and Anrich Nortje included, as well as Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana.

"There is the South Africa series going on, so there is going to be some recency bias. I've kept Matheesha Pathirana, David Miller, and Anrich Nortje at No.5. If Nortje and Miller perform well against India, then they will get a lot of money," he said in a clip posted on X.

Pathirana was released by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as part of their massive overhaul. Miller also found himself back in the player pool after an underwhelming campaign with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), while Nortje recently made his return from a stress-related injury.

He placed the spin all-rounder pair of Michael Bracewell and Cooper Connolly at No.4 next.

"There should be a lot of interest for Michael Bracewell, but unfortunately there isn't. CSK, you need an offie, he does bat well too. So CSK should think about him. Ricky Ponting has an overseas slot empty now, so Connolly is an option there," Chopra opined.

For the next two spots, he named the English pair of Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow.

"Livingstone has been an underperformer, he has been underwhelming, whether it be for Punjab or RCB. But, it is all about Supply and Demand now, there are no explosive middle-order players, even Maxi (Maxwell) is not there now. So, I think Livingstone will make money this time too," Chopra said.

"I have kept Jonny Bairstow at No.2. He has hit a lot, and played a few matches for the Mumbai Indians last season as well. Plenty of teams can go after him. KKR need a keeper-batter, and DC need an explosive batter at the top of the order, so I think there will be a lot of interest for him," he added.

Both Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are currently partaking in the International League T20 (ILT20) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The latter, in particular, has been in full flow for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, scoring 102 runs in three innings at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 172.88.

"There is nobody even coming close" - Aakash Chopra names Cameron Green as the most expensive overseas signing in IPL 2026 Auction

Cameron Green, who was released by RCB after the 2024 season and went on to miss the 2025 edition due to injury, comes into the mini-auction as the biggest attraction. The all-rounder is in massive demand, and is slated to fetch a record bid given the lack of credible options in the auction pool.

"Cameron Green will be at No.1, there is nobody even coming close. How much ever the final price is, he is only going to get the maximum cap of INR 18 crore, but the bid, it could be a proper bidding war. There will be KKR and there will be CSK, and there will some other team that jumps in before CSK, it could actually be 25 to 28 crore for him," Aakash Chopra concluded.

The IPL 2026 Auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Three-time winners KKR head into the event with the biggest purse of INR 64.30 crore.