The IPL 2026 mini-auction is fueling anticipation, with expert cricket commentator Aakash Chopra offering his insights on the international players who are poised to attract the highest bids. Chopra’s predictions are based on the current landscape of T20 cricket, factoring in the crucial elements of supply, demand, and the specific gaps in franchise rosters. His bold forecasts highlight a market that is particularly hungry for elite all-rounders and match-winning specialists.
Aakash Chopra names the 5 most expensive overseas players in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction
The top-tier IPL 2026 mini-auction picks
In a video on his Instagram account, Aakash Chopra is unequivocal about the player who will headline the bidding war, placing Australian all-rounder Cameron Green at the top. Chopra is convinced Green is peerless in the auction, making a powerful statement on his potential value:
“Cameron Green will be number 1, there is nobody around him. Whatever the final price may be, he will only get the maximum cap of Rs 18 crore, but it could be a tremendous bidding war. KKR will be there and CSK will be there and there will be another team that will jump in before CSK, it could actually go up to Rs 25 to 28 crore for him.” Chopra said.
Following Green, Chopra predicts high demand for England’s Jonny Bairstow at number two, citing his recent form and versatility: “I have placed Jonny Bairstow at number 2. He has scored a lot of runs and also played a few matches for Mumbai Indians last season. Many teams can bid for him. KKR needs a wicketkeeper-batsman and DC needs an explosive batsman in the top order, so I think there will be a lot of interest in him.” Chopra added.
High-value specialists and recency bias
For the third most expensive slot, Chopra selects the explosive English all-rounder, Liam Livingstone. His reasoning is purely market-driven, emphasizing the scarcity of high-impact finishers:
“Liam Livingstone has not performed well, his performance has not been up to the mark, be it for Punjab or RCB, but now everything depends on supply and demand, there is no explosive middle-order player in the auction, even Maxi (Maxwell) is not there now. So, I think Livingstone will make money this time too.”
In the lower half of his top five, Chopra places a collection of high-value specialists and all-rounders. At the fourth spot, he names the spin-bowling all-rounders Michael Bracewell (New Zealand) and Cooper Connolly (Australia), with a specific call-out to a franchise:
“There should be a lot of interest in Michael Bracewell, but unfortunately there isn’t. CSK, you need an offie (off-spinner), he bats well too. So CSK should consider him. Ricky Ponting now has an overseas slot vacant, so Connolly could be an option there.”
Finally, for the fifth position, Chopra lists three players, South Africa’s David Miller and Anrich Nortje, and Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana, predicting a massive price increase for the South Africans due to immediate performance:
“The South Africa series is currently underway, so there will be some recency bias. I have placed Matheesha Pathirana, David Miller, and Anrich Norkhia at number 5. If Nortje and Miller perform well against India, they will earn a lot of money.” Chopra concluded.
