Irfan Pathan lists 5 players to watch out for in IPL 2026 Auction; includes two Indian fast-bowlers

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has picked his five players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL 2026 Auction. Pathan went on to pick four out and out fast bowlers, out of which two were Indian, backing them to be in high demand when the bidding gets underway.

The two Indian quicks in the list are Akash Deep and Akash Madhwal, with the former delivering some match-winning performances in his limited Test appearances. Nevertheless, Deep is yet to make a mark in the IPL, having taken only 10 wickets in his 14 appearances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants.

While speaking about Akash Deep, Pathan said any team which can make use of the 28-year-old's new-ball skills should go for him strongly. The 41-year-old reckons the SunRisers Hyderabad will bid for him due to their lack of Indian fast bowlers, having also released Mohammed Shami before IPL 2026.

He said in a video uploaded by Star Sports:

"If I talk about Akash Deep, his seam is very straight. If any team can make use of his new-ball skills, he can be beneficial because he is excellent with the new ball. The way his deliveries zip and comes onto the bat, it comes well. He also generates that late movement, as we saw in England. Akash Deep's quality is with the new ball. I feel SunRisers Hyderabad are short of Indian fast bowlers, they have also released Mohammed Shami, so they can go for him."

The former Punjab Kings all-rounder opined that Australia star Cameron Green will be equally in demand during the IPL 2026 auction as fast-bowling all-rounders of such high quality are rarely available.

"Cameron Green is an all-rounder that many teams will go after. The purse constraint will be there. But if we speak of quality, he has a high-arm action and as a fast bowler. Fast-bowling all-rounders are scarce in nature. Green also gets swing along with bounce. He likes to bat at the top but he can bat as well in the middle-order. So, he is a high quality all-rounder."

The remaining two players in Pathan's list were Anrich Nortje and Matheesha Pathirana, claiming that their pace will put them in massive demand during the auction.

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Kolkata Knight Riders boast of the largest remaining purse ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Kolkata Knight Riders have a lot of gaps to fill at the IPL 2026 Auction (Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the highest available purse heading into the IPL 2026 auction, having an amount of ₹64.03 crore. The three-time champions released some of the biggest names in Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer and Moeen Ali.

The auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.