Chennai Super Kings

Purse - INR 43.40 Cr || Slots available - 9 || Overseas slots - 4

Current probable XII

Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, ALLROUNDER, ALLROUNDER/FINISHER, MS Dhoni (wk), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed

Others in squad

Urvil Patel, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton,

What do they need?

With a seemingly settled top five, CSK's top priority will be securing two players who can bat in the middle order. Having traded out two all-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran - to acquire Sanju Samson, they now need all-rounders with complementary skill sets: one who can bowl spin and another who can offer pace. CSK were the league's poorest side in the death overs in terms of run rate last season, making this an area that demands urgent attention. The requirement that both incoming players contribute with the ball adds to the challenge, especially since none of CSK's current bowlers are known for their batting and only Shivam Dube among their top eight provides a secondary bowling option.

Releasing Matheesha Pathirana means they must also target an overseas pacer with an ability to bowl at the death as backup to Nathan Ellis. Given the scarcity of quality bowlers in a mini-auction, it wouldn't be surprising if they attempt to re-sign the Sri Lankan quick. With Jadeja's departure and R. Ashwin's retirement, CSK may additionally look for a finger spinner, as Shreyas Gopal remains their only reserve option. Armed with the second-largest purse, the franchise will back itself to secure most of its key targets.

Potential targets - Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Jason Holder, Michael Bracewell, Prashant Veer, Sunny Sandhu, Mustafizur Rahman

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Purse - INR 25.50 Cr || Slots available - 10 || Overseas slots - 2

Current probable XII

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, DOMESTIC PACER

Others in squad

Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis

What do they need?

SRH took a massive call by parting ways with Mohammed Shami. With the likes of Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga being more specialised at the death, there is now a need for SRH to invest in someone who can bowl with the new ball. SRH were among the worst sides in the powerplay in 2025 and it's an area of concern for them going into the new season.

While Smaran Ravichandran has continued to make rapid strides in domestic cricket, whether he will walk into the XI/XII will depend on how SRH fare in the auction. Having released Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Sachin Baby, and Atharva Taide, SRH will need backup domestic batters and could potentially use one of their overseas slots for a backup batter too for the likes of Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. Even though they released Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, the spin department is one area where SRH might feel content with given the performances of Zeeshan Ansari in the last IPL and the emergence of Harsh Dubey in recent times.

Potential targets - Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Ashok Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Sharma

Delhi Capitals

Purse - INR 21.80 Cr || Slots available - 8 || Overseas slots - 5

Current probable XII

KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (wk), Nitish Rana, Karun Nair/Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T. Natarajan

Others in squad

Ajay Mandal, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurna Vijay, Dushmantha Chameera

What do they need?

From the 17 they retained, DC have a ready-made playing XI/XII with room for improvisation, starting with the possibility of having a new opening pair. DC used seven different opening pairs last season which was the most by any team in 2025. With five overseas slots available, DC might opt for an established player to pair up with KL Rahul.

Capitals often played with just three overseas players in their XII in IPL 2025 and could add another experienced fast bowler this time given T Natarajan's fitness concerns. Their pacers have historically struggled at death and that could prompt them looking for an overseas quick to bowl alongside Mitchell Starc. Once these two boxes are ticked, DC might also have an overseas spot to pick up a backup middle order batter for Tristan Stubbs.

Potential targets - Quinton de Kock, Pathum Nissanka, Jamie Smith, Jonny Bairstow, Matheesha Pathirana, Matt Henry, Mustafizur Rahman

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Purse - INR 16.40 Cr || Slots available - 8 || Overseas slots - 2

Current probable XII

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal

Others in squad

Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara

What do they need?

The defending champions have a settled core. This auction will be more or less about finding some backups for key positions. Josh Hazlewood's injury concerns will force RCB to use one of their two available overseas slots for a fast bowler with a similar profile despite the presence of Nuwan Thushara.

Yash Dayal hasn't played a competitive game post the IPL final this year. Even though he has been retained, RCB might need a domestic left-arm seamer if Dayal becomes unavailable. Considering they released Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Bhandage, and Swastik Chikara, RCB do not have backup Indian batters in their squad.

Potential targets- Lungi Ngidi, Alzarri Joseph, Taskin Ahmed, Spencer Johnson, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda

Punjab Kings

Purse - INR 11.50 Cr || Slots available - 4 || Overseas slots - 2

Current probable XII

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal

Others in squad

Vyshak Vijaykumar, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Xavier Bartlett

What do they need?

No team has retained more players than Punjab Kings. With only four slots available, the 2025 runners-up can back themselves to nail their first choice picks given they have a little over INR 11 crore in the purse. With four top-class overseas allrounders in their squad, PBKS can either use three of them in their XII every game or swap one of them out for an overseas batter who could play those impactful innings Josh Inglis did for them in 2025. In all likelihood, that option could be a wicketkeeper too.

While they have Xavier Bartlett, PBKS could still push for another overseas pacer as a backup for Lockie Ferguson. The New Zealand pacer's injury record in recent times is well documented. Similarly, they could also add a backup for Yuzvendra Chahal given the lack of spin options in the squad.

Potential targets - Shai Hope, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Henry, Anrich Nortje, Rahul Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Vignesh Puthur