The IPL 2026 mini-auction features 359 players competing for 77 slots, creating a scarcity-driven market. The INR 10-cr club remains exclusive.

The IPL 2026 mini-auction is just a couple of days away. There will be interest as to the players who can cross the 10cr barrier during the event. Now, a mini-auction does not reward volume; it rewards scarcity. With 359 shortlisted players chasing only 77 open slots, most names are walking into Abu Dhabi already fighting the arithmetic.

That same squeeze is why the INR 10-cr club stays small this year. The room simply does not have enough must-win targets, and not enough teams with the purse flexibility for 10 to 12 players to blow past the eight figures.

1. The auction is structurally tight

This year, it is cold maths more than hype: 359 play

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