The stage for the upcoming season of Indian Premiere League has already been set and the teams are ready for the action. There has been some major swaps and changes in the teams this time around. After the chaotic Mini Auction held in Abu Dhabi on 16th December 2025, there have some major buys and swaps among the teams, and the team balance and composition have had major overhauls.
According to some reputable internet sources and news outlets the IPL 2026 season is expected to begin on 26th March 2026 and conclude on 21st May 2026. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be hosting the opening match of the season at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium according to the tradition.
The auction held on the 16th December in Abu Dhabi was a record breaking event and has resulted in some major team reshufflings. The most expensive buy of this season was Camron Green, breaking all records bye being bought at staggering ₹ 25.20 Crore by Kolkata Knight Riders. The other major focus in this mini auction were the youngsters being bought for ₹ 14.20 Crores each by Chennai Super Kings, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma are the two new additions to the team.
Historical Trade window and some shocking Trades also known as “The Great Swap”.
Being the biggest trade in the IPL history there were some big swaps among the teams. Big name players like Sanju Samson has moved to Chennai Super Kings and Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja have moved to Rajasthan Royals. In an all cash deal Mohammed Shami has changed teams from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants. Mumbai Indian have also made a strategic move, sending Arjun Tendulkar to Lucknow Super Giants and bringing in Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande.
To focus on the welfare of the Indian players a new rule was introduced capping the salary to overseas players. According to the rule if bid for any overseas player crosses the Highest Indian Retention price of ₹ 18 crores, the exceeding fund will be redirected to the BCCI player welfare fund.