IPL 2026 Auction: Who will be the New Faces, Representatives in Mini Auction for Teams?

The IPL 2026 auction takes place on Tuesday (December 16), at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the third consecutive overseas event and second in the UAE.

Kicking off at 2:30 PM IST, this one-day spectacle features over 350 players competing for 77 slots across 10 teams, with a total purse of ₹237.55 crore driving bids for stars like Cameron Green and uncapped talents.

IPL 2026 Auction Who will be the New Faces Representatives in Mini Auction for Teams

Kolkata Knight Riders lead with ₹64.30 crore for 13 slots including 6 overseas, positioning them for major acquisitions, followed by Chennai Super Kings at ₹43.40 crore for 9 slots. Mumbai Indians face constraints with just ₹2.75 crore for 5 slots.

As the auction arrives, the franchises will be represented by a few new faces, as many coaching tweaks took place in between the last season and auction.

Who will be the new faces in IPL 2026 Auction?

Kolkata Knight Riders Overhaul

Abhishek Nayar, promoted from assistant coach to head coach, brings tactical acumen and player management skills after working under Chandrakant Pandit. Tim Southee, former New Zealand pace spearhead, joins as bowling coach to mentor KKR's young fast bowlers following Bharat Arun's departure. Shane Watson, IPL-winning all-rounder and coaching veteran, takes dual assistant coach roles to bolster batting strategies.

Along with that, the CEO Venky Mysore, and co-owner Jahnvi Mehta are certain to be present in the mini auction.

RR and LSG with Changes

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan legend and proven tactician, replaces Rahul Dravid as Rajasthan Royals head coach, bringing aggressive strategies and international experience. Lucknow Super Giants bolster their setup with Tom Moody as Director of Cricket, Kane Williamson as Strategic Advisor - the Australian is set to be present in the auction.

Shreyas Iyer for PBKS

Shreyas Iyer will be the new face in the auction table, this time for the Punjab Kings. The star player was bought by PBKS in the mega auction last year.

Will MS Dhoni be present for CSK?

MS Dhoni is not going to attend in the auction, but his strategic inputs are likely to be executed at the event.

What happens for RCB?

Although the Royal Challengers Bengaluru may undergo a change in ownership, the team have a set of administrators who will be leading the auction.

IPL 2026 Coach Changes

Team	Position	Outgoing	Incoming
Kolkata Knight Riders	Head coach	Chandrakant Pandit	Abhishek Nayar
Kolkata Knight Riders	Bowling coach	Bharat Arun	Tim Southee
Kolkata Knight Riders	Spin bowling coach	Carl Crowe	—
Kolkata Knight Riders	Assistant coach	Abhishek Nayar	Shane Watson
Kolkata Knight Riders	Power Coach	Ottis Gibson	Andre Russell
Lucknow Super Giants	Mentor	Zaheer Khan	—
Lucknow Super Giants	Assistant coach	Rajat Bhatia	—
Lucknow Super Giants	Bowling coach	—	Bharat Arun
Lucknow Super Giants	Spin bowling coach	—	Carl Crowe
Lucknow Super Giants	Strategic Advisor	—	Kane Williamson
Lucknow Super Giants	Director of Cricket	—	Tom Moody
Punjab Kings	Spin bowling coach	Sunil Joshi	Sairaj Bahutule
Rajasthan Royals	Head coach	Rahul Dravid	Kumar Sangakkara
Rajasthan Royals	Spin bowling coach	Sairaj Bahutule	—
Rajasthan Royals	Fielding coach	Dishant Yagnik	—
Sunrisers Hyderabad	Fast bowling coach	James Franklin	Varun Aaron