Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Full squad: Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thushara, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Vihaan Malhotra (INR 30 lakh), Jordan Cox (INR 75 lakh), Venkatesh Iyer (INR 7 Cr), Satvik Deswal (INR 30 lakh), Mangesh Yadav (INR 5.20 Cr), Vicky Ostwal (INR 30 lakh), Kanishk Chouhan (INR 30 lakh), Jacob Duffy (INR 2 Cr)

What they did at the auction:

The defending champions walked into the auction with rare clarity. Their squad was largely set, their needs few. That showed in their restraint: bids for just 10 players, eight of them successful. Topping the wishlist was insurance for the injury-prone yet talismanic Josh Hazlewood, and they quietly ticked that box by snapping up the ICC's top-ranked T20I fast bowler Jacob Duffy at base price. With uncertainty lingering over Yash Dayal's availability, they also hunted for a left-arm option, pushing hard to secure Mangesh Yadav for INR 5.20 crore.

The moment that defined their auction, though, was a familiar one. RCB went back for a player they have long admired: Venkatesh Iyer. After being ready to stretch beyond INR 23 crore for him at last year's mega auction, they found themselves in a deja vu duel with KKR once more. This time they emerged winners at a fraction of the cost. At INR 7 crore, the gifted left-hander deepens RCB's Indian batting core.

Chennai Super Kings

Full squad: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan (INR 75 lakh), Kartik Sharma (INR 14.20 Cr), Prashant Veer (INR 14.20 Cr), Matthew Short (INR 1.50 Cr), Aman Khan (INR 40 lakh), Zak Foulkes (INR 75 lakh), Akeal Hosein (INR 2 Cr), Rahul Chahar (INR 5.2 Cr), Matt Henry (INR 2 Cr)

What they did at this auction

As expected, CSK were engaged in a battle with KKR for Cameron Green but at one point were happy to let go of him for INR 25.20 Crore. They ended up allocating more than 50% of their budget on two relative young unknown players - middle-order wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma and allrounder Prashant Veer. Both the players were bought for an astonishing identical sum of INR 14.20 Crore each. In their quest to get a backup for Nathan Ellis, CSK went quite far for their former player Mustafizur Rahman, only to lose him to KKR.

CSK also made an attempt to sign another former player in Jason Holder but were outbid by Gujarat Titans. Ravi Bishnoi was not attainable either and hence they settled for Rahul Chahar who offers the same skillset. They added in-form Sarfaraz Khan to their roster and added to their pace battery with the additions of two New Zealanders - Adam Milne and Zakary Foulkes. Akeal Hosein, Aman Khan and Australia's Matthew Short were the other purchases made by a busy CSK side looking to recover from their first-ever wooden spoon finish.

Punjab Kings

Full squad: Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly (INR 3 Cr), Pravin Dubey (INR 30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (INR 30 lakh), Ben Dwarshuis (INR 4.40 Cr)

What they did at the auction:

PBKS experienced an unusually low-key day at the auction. Having retained 21 players from a squad that stumbled only at the final hurdle in IPL 2025, their needs were limited. Like RCB, PBKS entered with a short list, bidding on just six players and securing four. The notable miss was a familiar face: former Kings spinner Rahul Chahar. PBKS stretched the bidding to INR 5 crore before stepping away, opting instead to pick a pair of leg-spinners Vishal Ninad and Praveen Dubey at base price as cover for the league's leading wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Their biggest outlay came in fast bowling. Ben Dwarshuis was snapped up for INR 4.40 crore, offering insurance for the injury-prone Lockie Ferguson. The day was rounded off with the acquisition of another Australian Cooper Connolly, who strengthens an all-rounder group already rich in options, while also bringing left-handed balance and useful part-time spin.

Gujarat Titans

Full squad: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Arshad Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Luke Wood (INR 75 lakh) Prithvi Raj Yarra (INR 30 lakh), Tom Banton (INR 2 crore), Jason Holder (INR 7 crore), Ashok Sharma (INR 90 lakh)

What they did at the auction:

The Gujarat Titans came into the auction needing to fill five slots, four of them overseas. They walked out having purchased three overseas players and two exciting Indian pacers. Their auction began with an early and convictionless pursuit of Venkatesh Iyer, for whom they placed just two bids. Ashok Sharma, a tearaway quick from Rajasthan, was their first purchase for INR 90 lakh. The 23-year-old, who currently tops the chart of leading wicket-takers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, appears to be a smart addition to an already rich arsenal of fast bowlers that also features names like Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Kagiso Rabada among others.

Needing to fortify their overseas contingent, the Titans went after Jason Holder and secured him for INR 7 crore following a 26-bid war with the Chennai Super Kings. Holder could play a vital role in affording balance to the Titans' side. They also expressed interest in Liam Livingstone, Ben Dwarshuis and Jack Edwards, but not enough to secure any of them. Their next purchase was Tom Banton for his base price of INR 2 crore, providing a like-for-like backup to Jos Buttler. Their squad was rounded out by the addition of left-arm seamers Prithvi Raj Yarra (30 lakh) and Luke Wood (75 lakh).

Lucknow Super Giants

Full squad: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshin Kulkarni, Himmat Singh, M Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Josh Inglis (INR 8.5 Crore), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 Crore), Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 Crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 2 Crore), Anrich Nortje (INR 2 Crore), Naman Tiwari (INR 1 Crore)

Having entered the squad with a purse of INR 22.95 Crore, with six slots (4 overseas) available to be filled, LSG had a relatively quiet start at the auction. They did enter bids for Venkatesh Iyer and Matheesha Pathirana but backed out eventually. Meanwhile, a couple of quality names in the form of Wanindu Hasaranga (adding some strength to their spin department) and Anrich Nortje (further boosting their pace department), at their base price, were valuable additions to the LSG roster.

Surprisingly, they pushed until INR 12.8 Crore for Liam Livingstone before SRH got hold of the England allrounder. They then opted to shell out INR 8.6 Crore for Josh Inglis despite indications over his limited availability for the 2026 edition. In Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mukul Choudhary and Naman Tiwari, LSG picked up a few promising domestic names.