Ravichandran Ashwin predicts most expensive picks for the IPL 2026 mini-auction

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was packed with drama and full of surprising turnarounds that kept fans talking all season. These twists have sparked big speculation about what might change in IPL 2026. In the middle of all this, Indian cricket legend and Chennai Super Kings star Ravichandran Ashwin has found himself in trade rumours. He has now spoken about who he thinks could be the costliest buys in the next edition of the world’s toughest T20 league.

Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin explained that the upcoming mini auction will make it difficult to secure Indian players, with most new additions likely to be fresh faces. He believed the costliest picks will be overseas stars and warned that releasing a big Indian player could be a very risky move for any franchise. Ashwin also noted that the auction is expected to see a strong presence of Australian players.

“This will be a mini auction where you’ll find it tough to get Indian players. Maybe only new players will come. The costly picks will be overseas players. A franchise releasing a big Indian player is a very risky formula. So many Australian players will come in the auction,” Ashwin stated.

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Ashwin further spoke about the players who could be top priorities in the next mini-auction, mentioning Mitchell Owen, who featured as a replacement player for three games for Punjab Kings, and Cameron Green, who will be part of the auction pool. He believes both are likely to fetch big prices as foreign all-rounders. According to Ashwin, the mini-auction could see teams spending in the range of INR 25–30 crore to secure such talents.

“You’ve got Mitchell Owen, who was a replacement player for three games for Punjab Kings. Then you’ve got someone like Cameron Green coming into the auction. They’ll go at a big price because they are foreign all-rounders. The mini-auction will be a game of Rs 25-30 crore for all teams,” Ashwin further added.

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