The IPL 2026 mini-auction was held on 16 December in Abu Dhabi. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered the auction with a strong purse of ₹43.40 crore, the second-highest among all teams after KKR.

CSK focused on rebuilding by mixing international experience with bold investments in young Indian talent. The biggest talking point was their spending on uncapped players.

All-rounder Prashant Veer and wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma were bought for ₹14.20 crore each. They jointly became the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.

This signalled CSK’s long-term vision, following the release of key names like Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran earlier.

Kartik Sharma plays for Rajasthan. The 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has scored 479 runs in 8 First Class matches, 445 runs in 9 List A matches and 334 in 12 T20 matches so far.

MS Dhoni is the main wicketkeeper-batter in the team while Sanju Samson has also joined Chennai. It will be interesting to see how CSK use Sharma in that position.

Prashant Veer plays for Uttar Pradesh. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler has taken 2 wickets in 2 first-class matches so far. In 9 T20s, he has taken 12 wickets.

CSK also added depth and balance through experienced signings. They picked Rahul Chahar for ₹5.20 crore to bolster their spin bowling.

Chennai bought overseas players, Akeal Hosein and Matt Henry for ₹2 crore each. They had Matthew Short for ₹1.50 crore, Sarfaraz Khan for ₹75 lakh, Zak Foulkes for ₹75 lakh and Aman Khan for ₹40 lakh.