Ranking the three worst-performing teams at IPL 2026 Auction ft. SRH

The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16 saw record bids and unprecedented signings as the majority of the franchises needed to tweak their side ahead of the next season. While there were some teams who were able to crack the auction dynamics and acquire their targets for a reasonable price, some were not that fortunate.

A total of 77 players were sold during the auction, with Australia all-rounder Cameron Green being the most expensive acquisition at 25.20 crore. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made history by making the youngster, the most expensive overseas player in IPL history.

The uncapped duo of Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma also made history by fetching record bids of 14.20 crore each by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). They are now the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.

On that note, let us take a look at the three worst-performing teams at IPL 2026 Auction.

#1 Chennai Super Kings

CSK had the rarest of rare luxury of having a massive purse as well as having a relatively well-settled squad for the next season. Their biggest priorities were all-rounders and spinners, and while they have got their hands on some serious talent and potential, it is highly debatable whether they made the best use of the money or not.

CSK did go all out for Cameron Green before bowing out along expected lines. Surprisingly, they chose not to go for David Miller and Liam Livingstone, and walked away from the Ravi Bishnoi bidding war as well, despite their mammoth purse, and ended up settling for Rahul Chahar in the accelerated round.

CSK ended up shelling two-thirds of their purse on uncapped talents on Prasanth Veer and Kartik Sharma. With this auction, the five-time winners had the opportunity to ramp up their bowling reserves in particular, especially with Matheesha Pathirana not in their squad anymore.

Signings like Matt Henry and Zak Foulkes are far from strong and dominant in terms of an overseas spearhead compared to other franchises. CSK, once again, tried to go for both Jason Holder and Mustafizur Rahman, but backed out eventually.

While the signings of Matt Short and Sarfaraz Khan are bargains with respect to their ability, their profile does not really suit the vacancies that CSK have in their playing XI.

#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH had one job at the auction, and that was to improve their bowling department considerably. They also had a decent purse for the task, especially after Mohammad Shami's trade to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for 10 crore. But, their auction strategy was baffling, to say the least.

With only an injury-prone and workload-challenged Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel available as credible options in the bowling unit that are bona fide starters, SRH did not add much to the department to beef it up.

While they have Eshan Malinga and Brydon Carse in their setup as well, there is an overwhelming lack of Indians among the bowling options. SRH roped in Shivam Mavi, who has had his fair share of major injury concerns of late, and had a rather ordinary 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

The same is the case with spinners as they do not have an outright proven spinner in their entire squad. SRH plans to go with Zeeshan Ansari as their primary spinner, with Liam Livingstone, Abhishek Sharma, and Kamindu Mendis' part-time spin being the next best option. They could have bid harder for Ravi Bishnoi, but made only a couple of bids before backing out.

The contrast in SRH's top half and bottom half of their potential playing XI speaks volumes, and it is hard to argue that the side did not waste an opportunity to strengthen their bowling department, especially considering that there were plenty of resources available and they had a decent budget to work with.

The biggest sign their auction did not go according to plan, or their strategy was flawed, is the fact that they still had 5.45 crore remaining in their purse.

#3 Gujarat Titans

GT did not have a whole lot to do at the auction after minimal releases after the 2025 season, but it was important that what little they did was the right thing. However, that does not appear as the case.

GT's priority at the auction was an impact player in the middle order after Sherfane Rutherford's trade move to MI. Surprisingly, the franchise did not buy a single batter except for Tom Banton, who is more or less a backup for Jos Buttler. As things stand, their first-choice middle-order pair remains Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan, a relatively untested pair.

The top-order's success in IPL 2025, masked the fragile middle order. But it is baffling tha GT have not used the 2026 Auction to address that issue, since the top-order cannot always play out more than half of the overs and lay down a foundation.

With Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, and Kagiso Rabada being certainties in the playing XII, GT can only play one of Glenn Phillips or Jason Holder, which is a cause for concern as a hole in the side is inevitable.

Edited by Gokul Nair