Australia allrounder Cameron Green emerged as the most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League history at the IPL 2026 auction held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Kolkata Knight Riders secured his services for $2.7 million.

Green is currently playing in the Ashes Test series against England. His auction price slightly surpassed the earlier overseas record amount, in Indian rupee terms, that Kolkata had paid for fellow Australian Mitchell Starc ahead of the 2024 season.

Third most expensive IPL player overall

The deal also made Green the third most expensive player in IPL history. Only India internationals Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have been sold for higher prices.

The 2026 season will mark Green’s third IPL campaign. He earlier played for Mumbai Indians and then Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions. However, he missed the 2025 season after undergoing back surgery.

Kolkata spends big at the auction

Kolkata entered the auction with the largest remaining purse. Apart from Green, the franchise spent heavily on Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, paying around $2 million. This made Pathirana the second most expensive buy of the 2026 auction.

Chennai signs record uncapped players

Chennai Super Kings also made major moves. The franchise bought spinning allrounder Prashant Veer and wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma for about $1.5 million each. These deals made them the most expensive uncapped players ever signed at an IPL auction.

Large pool of players under the hammer

A total of 359 shortlisted players went under the hammer in Abu Dhabi. The group included cricketers from India and 10 overseas countries. Teams filled their squads for the 2026 season, which will run from March to May.

Under the auction rules, players set a base price and franchises bid against each other, with the highest bidder winning. Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings both competed with Kolkata before the Knight Riders clinched Green’s signing.

Other key overseas signings

Several other big overseas names were picked up during the auction. South Africa’s David Miller and England’s Ben Duckett joined Delhi Capitals. West Indies allrounder Jason Holder went to Gujarat Titans, while South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock returned to Mumbai Indians.

Kolkata further strengthened its squad by signing Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman and New Zealand players Finn Allen and Tim Seifert.