Top 5 Indian batters to watch out for in IPL 2026 Auction ft. Prithvi Shaw

The player list for the IPL 2026 auction was announced on Tuesday, December 9. A total of 350 players have been shortlisted to go under the hammer in Abu Dhabi on December 16. As many as 1,390 cricketers had registered for the mini-auction, out of which the final list was pruned down to 350.

Of the final list of 350 players shortlisted for the IPL 2026 auction, 240 are Indians and 110 are overseas cricketers. The auction pool includes 224 uncapped Indian players as well as 14 uncapped overseas players. A total of 77 slots can be filled up at the auction, with 31 spots reserved for overseas players. Forty cricketers have registered for the auction at the highest reserve price of ₹2 crore.

As mentioned above, 240 Indian players have registered for the IPL 2026 auction. In this feature, we look at five Indian batters to watch out for at the auction.

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#1 Prithvi Shaw

Amid concerns over his form, fitness and disciplinary issues, Prithvi Shaw went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, despite setting a comparatively low base price of ₹75 lakh. The 26-year-old batter has put his name up for the IPL 2026 auction at a base price of ₹75 lakh yet again.

There has never been any doubt over his talent, but Shaw has often been in the news for wrong reasons that right. Looking at his form heading into the upcoming auction, the aggressive right-handed batter has scored 183 runs in seven innings at an average of 26.14 and a strike rate of 160.52 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Representing Maharashtra, he smashed 66 off 36 against Hyderabad and 66 off 30 against Bihar. Consistency has never been Shaw's forte, but he has displayed some scintillating form for sure, which might tempt some franchises.

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#2 Sarfaraz Khan

Like Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan also went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. He too had set his base price as ₹75 lakh. Sarfaraz is renowned as an aggressive hitter in domestic cricket, so it is somewhat surprising that he has not played a lot of IPL. Having his made his debut in the T20 league back in 2015, the 28-year-old has only played 50 matches so far, scoring 585 runs at a strike rate of 130.58.

Sarfaraz has again registered for the IPL 2026 auction at a base price of ₹75 lakh. Looking at the right-handed batter's recent form, he has scored 187 runs in four innings at an average of 93.50 and a strike rate of 168.46 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The Mumbai batter clobbered 100* off 47 balls against Assam and 52 off 40 balls against Kerala and could find some takers at the auction in Dubai.

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#3 Mayank Agarwal

Rather surprisingly, Karnataka batting star and former Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Mayank Agarwal went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. However, he was later signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as an injury replacement for Devdutt Padikkal. Agarwal made a contribution in RCB's triumph, scoring 95 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 148.43.

Having been released by RCB, he has registered his name for the IPL 2026 auction at a base price of ₹75 lakh. Agarwal has had an underwhelming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. In seven innings, the 34-year-old has scored 135 runs at an average of 19.28 and a strike rate of 121.62. However, he is an experienced campaigner and a proven performer in the IPL.

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#4 Kunal Chandela

Uttarakhand captain Kunal Chandela is currently the leading run-getter in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In seven innings, he has clobbered 350 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 150.86, with four half-centuries. The 31-year-old hammered 88 off 49 balls against Karnataka and 94 off 54 against Saurashtra.

Given his impressive run of form, Chandela, with a base price of ₹30 lakh, could be in demand at the IPL 2026 auction. The right-handed batter has the experience of 33 T20 matches in which he has scored 890 runs at an average of 30.68 and a strike rate of 134.84.

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#5 Anmolpreet Singh

Hard-hitting Punjab batter Anmolpreet Singh has also registered for the IPL 2026 auction at a base price of ₹30 lakh. The 27-year-old has played nine IPL matches so far and has scored 139 runs at an average of 15.44 and a strike rate of 120.86.

Anmolpreet has been in decent form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In seven innings, he has scored 241 runs at an average of 34.42 and a strike rate of 172.14. The aggressive batter struck 81 off 37 against Haryana and 69 off 32 against Baroda. He could be in demand among Indian batters at the IPL 2026 auction.