Top 5 most expensive uncapped players of IPL 2026 Auction ft. Auqib Nabi Dar

Many uncapped Indian players were in great demand at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. Teams shelled out big for budding Indian and overseas players at the event.

Franchises have gone all out for uncapped players in the past as well. It was the same case this time around as well. We witnessed historic deals, with two youngsters jointly becoming the most expensive uncapped players in IPL auction history.

Meanwhile, 77 players were sold at the IPL 2026 auction. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was the most expensive player, signing with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹25.20 crore. He also became the costliest overseas player in IPL auctions.

With that said, let's take a look at the top five most expensive uncapped players of IPL 2026:

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#1 Prashant Veer (₹14.20 crore)

Prashant Veer, a 20-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, scripted history at the IPL 2026 auction. He has claimed 12 wickets from nine T20 innings at an economy rate of 6.45 and has scored 112 runs across seven innings at a strike rate of 167.16.

The youngster entered the auction with a base price of ₹30 lakh. His name started an intense bidding war, with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) kicking off the proceedings.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) also jumped in soon after. CSK outbid SRH at the end with a whopping ₹14.20 crore bid to acquire Prashant's services.

Notably, he broke pacer Avesh Khan's record to become the most expensive uncapped player in the IPL auction. Avesh previously held the record after being snapped up by LSG for ₹10 crore in 2022.

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#2 Kartik Sharma (₹14.20 crore)

CSK roped in yet another uncapped Indian player for ₹14.20 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. Rajasthan's wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma got the lucrative deal and became the joint-most expensive uncapped player alongside Prashant Veer.

The 19-year-old has an impressive T20 strike rate of 162.92, with 334 runs across 11 innings. He set his base price at ₹30 lakh and attracted bids from teams like CSK, MI, LSG, KKR and SRH.

The five-time champions ultimately won the bidding war and added the talented player to their squad.

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#3 Auqib Nabi Dar (₹8.40 crore)

Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi Dar got a huge deal at the IPL 2026 auction. The bidding started from his base price of ₹30 lakh, with Delhi Capitals (DC) placing the opening bid.

DC faced some competition as RR, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and SRH joined in. However, they were persistent and eventually signed the pacer for ₹8.40 crore.

Auqib has shown wonderful form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. He has bagged 15 wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 7.41. Overall, he has 43 scalps to his name across 34 T20s with an economy rate of 7.74.

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#4 Mangesh Yadav (₹5.20 crore)

RCB purchased Madhya Pradesh's left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav for ₹5.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. The uncapped Indian player had a base price of ₹30 lakh. The Bengaluru-based side won the bidding war with SRH.

Skipper Rajat Patidar may have had a role to play in RCB going after Mangesh, given that the two play for the same state in domestic cricket.

The seamer was the leading wicket-taker of the Madhya Pradesh Premier League 2025, finishing with 14 wickets from six outings.

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#5 Tejasvi Singh (₹3 crore)

Tejasvi Singh was another uncapped Indian wicketkeeper-batter who was in a lot of demand at the mini-auction. The Delhi player was sold to KKR for ₹3 crore.

He was the fifth most expensive uncapped player at the event. Tejasvi has amassed 113 runs across four T20 innings at a strike rate of 168.65.

The right-handed batter did a fine job in the Delhi Premier League 2025, chalking up 339 runs from 10 games with a fantastic strike rate of 190.45.

KKR were in search of a wicketkeeper after having released Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz before the IPL 2026 auction. They've shown trust in Tejasvi's abilities for the crucial role.