Nikhil Chaudhary has become one of the most talked about names ahead of the IPL 2026 auction after signing up as an Indian national cricketer. The all-rounder, who plays first-class cricket and the Big Bash League in Australia, has been officially listed as an uncapped Indian for the upcoming mini-auction.
The IPL Governing Council has confirmed the final list of players for the December 16 auction in Abu Dhabi, shortlisting 350 names for teams to bid on. As all ten franchises prepare for the new season, the auction will serve as a key opportunity for them to address team gaps and strengthen their rosters.
Several big names create buzz ahead of IPL auction
Several big names including Cameron Green, Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Jamie Smith and Quinton de Kock are creating buzz ahead of the IPL auction.
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The auction will begin with capped players, grouped according to their roles. These groups include batters, all-rounders, wicketkeeper-hitters, fast bowlers and spin bowlers. After that, the auction will be transferred to uncapped players in the same order.
Cameron Green will open the first batting series, alongside Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw and David Miller. Venkatesh Iyer has been placed in the first list of names in the all-rounders section.
According to the schedule, the accelerated part of the auction will start after player No. 70, which is Afghanistan’s Wahidullah Zadran. The auction takes place over one day, unlike the mega auction.
Nikhil Chaudhary named uncapped Indian all-rounder in IPL 2026 auction
Nikhil Chaudhary is named as an uncapped Indian all-rounder in the IPL 2026 auction. His inclusion surprised many fans, especially as he plays full-time domestic cricket overseas, notably in the Big Bash League.
Nikhil Chaudhary is eligible because he started his career in India. He made his List A and T20 debut for Punjab in 2017 before moving to Australia in 2020. His state association is still officially listed as the Punjab Cricket Association, which allows him to register as an Indian player.
Nikhil Chaudhary, 29, represented the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, scoring 386 runs and taking nine wickets in 20 matches. He also made the Tasmania first-class team.
Nikhil Chaudhary is only the second cricketer of Indian origin to feature in the BBL after Unmukt Chand. Notably, the BCCI does not allow active Indian players to participate in foreign leagues unless they have completely retired from Indian cricket.
More details on Indian Premier League 2026 mini-auction
The ten IPL franchises will compete for 77 vacancies in the upcoming auction, including 31 places for foreign players. Out of 1,390 initial registrations, the IPL board selected 350 players, including 240 Indian and 110 foreign cricketers.
A total of 224 uncapped Indian players and 14 uncapped foreign players will participate in the auction. Forty players chose the highest base prize category of INR 2 crore.
The auction will take place on Tuesday, December 16 from 2:30 p.m. IST, giving teams one last opportunity to strengthen their squads after declaring their retained players earlier this year.
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