In such instances, the BCCI will provide a ‘tie-breaker form’ to the competing teams. Those involved in the matched bid must enter a ‘secret bid’ amount on this form, which will be expressed in Indian national rupees.
The amount in the secret bid does not represent the price the franchises are willing to pay the player; instead, it indicates the fee they must pay to the BCCI to acquire his services.
Previously, the tie-breaker bid required competing teams that had already exceeded a specific limit for the player to submit a higher amount to finalize the transaction. Now, the funds will go to the BCCI, which the franchise that secures the secret bid must remit within 30 days of the mini-auction.
Historically, players like Kieron Pollard (2010) and Ravindra Jadeja (2012) were acquired by their teams via a secret bid following a tie-breaker in the auction. The upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction is expected to attract aggressive bidding for multiple high-profile stars, with 350 shortlisted players vying for 77 slots.
Of the 77 available slots, 31 will be allocated to overseas talents. High-profile players such as Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Ben Duckett, and Quinton de Kock are anticipated to be the main draws for franchises.
However, the maximum fee for an overseas player will be capped at the highest retention price of ₹ 18 crore or the top auction price from the mega auction, whichever is lower.
The IPL governing council implemented this rule after observing a trend where overseas stars registered only for the mini-auction, leveraged the demand-supply gap to secure higher earnings. From now on, overseas players must mandatorily enroll for the mega auction if they are fit and available. Failure to comply will result in a one-year suspension from the league.
Additionally, if a foreign player sold in the mega auction withdraws before the tournament commences, they will face a ban from the next two mini-auctions. For instance, since England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook withdrew his name from IPL 2025, he cannot register for the IPL 2026 auction and will also be ineligible for IPL 2027.
Teams will not have access to a Right To Match (RTM) card during the mini-auction, as this will be reserved primarily for mega auctions. If a team desires to reacquire a released player, they must outbid other contenders in a formal auction process.
