Subramaniam Badrinath predicts former RCB star to be the biggest buy of IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath picked Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to be the biggest buy among overseas players in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. The marquee event is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

The 26-year-old missed the 2025 IPL season due to injury but has been in red-hot form for Australia in T20Is since his return. Green impressed in his first two IPL seasons, 2023 and 2024, for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), respectively.

While predicting the top buys among overseas stars in the upcoming auction, Badrinath said on his YouTube channel:

"He will go the highest price overall also in this mini auction. He could go for 20 or 25 crore, maybe even touch Rishabh Pant's record 27 crore."

It is worth remembering that the maximum-fee rule, brought last year to eliminate the advantages for overseas players in the mini auction, will restrict Green's earnings to a maximum of ₹18 crore. Should he attract higher bids, the additional money will be utilized by the BCCI for player welfare.

Meanwhile, Badrinath expects Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana to attract the highest bids among foreign players after Green.

"A death bowler who CSK released. He has said Dwayne Bravo has helped him a lot. So I am expecting a bid from KKR. But many teams will bid for him, given he's a death-bowling specialist. Hence, he'll also be sold for a high price," said Badrinath.

Pathirana was with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since his debut in 2022, helping the side win the 2023 IPL title. However, a poor 2025 season resulted in the franchise releasing him ahead of the auction.

Subramaniam Badrinath picks two other foreign players likely to attract big money at the IPL 2026 auction

Subramaniam Badrinath further picked England batting all-rounder Liam Livingstone to attract several bids at the 2026 auction. The 32-year-old was part of RCB's title-winning side from last season, making a telling contribution of 25 from 15 balls in the final.

However, he endured a poor overall season, averaging only 16 in 10 outings, resulting in RCB releasing him.

"He's coming off a poor season with RCB and they released him. But he has tremendous ability as a hitter down the order even against spinners. Plus he bowls spin and is an outstanding fielder. So he can expect a lot of bids in this auction," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).

Finally, Badrinath picked New Zealand star Rachin Ravindra to be the dark horse among foreign players in the auction.

"He is an underrated player and coming into the auction, he could attract a few excellent bids. Because he has the all-round ability and is a left-hander with the ability to also bowl left-arm spin. So teams with top-order needs will bid for him. It's hard to say, he could go for a high price or get sold at base price also. But there is a good chance of the former," the former batter concluded.

The 26-year-old was with CSK in the last two IPL seasons, but averaged in the mid-20s with the bat, resulting in them releasing the young superstar.