Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Aakash Chopra predicts the signing of the top five overseas players in the IPL 2026 mini-auction at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
The cricketer-turned-commentator named three stars for the No. 5 spot – the South African pair of David Miller and Anrich Nortje, and the Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana,
“The South Africa series is going on, so there is going to be some recent bias. I have Mathisha Pathirana, David Miller and Anrich Nortje at No. 5. If Nortje and Miller perform well against India, they will get a lot of money,” he said in a clip posted on Twitter.
Chopra placed fourth behind spin bowling all-rounders Michael Bracewell (New Zealand) and Cooper Connolly (Australia).
Chopra said, “There should be a lot of interest for Michael Bracewell, but unfortunately there is not. CSK you need an offie, he bats well too. So CSK should think about him. Ricky Ponting has an overseas slot vacant right now, so Connolly is an option there.”
For the second and third positions, Chopra named England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and all-rounder Liam Livingstone respectively.
Chopra said, “Livingstone has not been good, be it for Punjab or RCB. But, it is all about supply and demand now, there are no explosive players in the middle-order, even Maxi (Maxwell) is not there now. So, I think Livingstone will make money this time too.”
He said, “I have placed Jonny Bairstow at No. 2. He has hit a lot and also played a few matches for Mumbai Indians last season. Many teams can go after him. KKR need a keeper-batsman and DC need an explosive batsman at the top of the order, so I think there will be a lot of interest for him.”
Cameron Green will be at number 1, no one is even close to him: Chopra
Chopra believes that no other foreign player will be able to earn as high a salary as Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. According to the 48-year-old, Green could be priced around Rs 25 to 28 crore. It is important to note that Rishabh Pant holds the record of being the most expensive player in the IPL auction. In the mega-auction ahead of IPL 2025, the wicketkeeper-batsman was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore.
Aakash Chopra concluded, “Cameron Green will be at No. 1, no one is coming close to him. No matter what the final price is, he will get a maximum of Rs 18 crore, but the bidding, it could be a fair bidding war. There will be KKR and there will be CSK, and if some other team comes before CSK, then it could actually be Rs 25 to 28 crore for him.”
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