Top 5 players with massive pay cuts from last season in IPL 2026 auction ft. Venkatesh Iyer

IPL 2026 auction is officially in the history books. The mini auction took place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where the 10 franchises splurged crores of rupees to acquire some of the top cricketers from across the world.

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green earned a massive ₹25.2 crore deal from three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Meanwhile, uncapped players Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer took home ₹14.2 crore each from five-time champions Chennai Super Kings.

While it was a big payday for Green, Sharma and Veer, here's a list of five such players who got a massive pay cut from last season in IPL 2026 Auction.

(Please Note: Players who remained unsold at IPL 2026 Auction are not considered for this list.)

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#1 Venkatesh Iyer got a pay cut of ₹16.75 crore in IPL 2026 Auction

Venkatesh Iyer is a rare Indian player, who can smash big shots with the willow and also bowl pace when needed. Last season, the Kolkata Knight Riders signed Venkatesh for ₹23.75 crore, but the all-rounder failed to justify his hefty price tag.

As a result, Venkatesh was back in the auction pool. His former team KKR tried signing him for a cheaper amount, but defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat KKR in the bidding war and signed Iyer for ₹7 crore, which is ₹16.75 crore less than his previous contract.

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#2 Akash Deep got a pay cut of ₹7 crore in IPL 2026

It is rare to see an active capped Indian pacer go unsold at the IPL Auction, but Akash Deep did not receive a single bid in the first round of the mini auction. Deep returned in the accelerated round, where Kolkata Knight Riders secured his services at his base price of ₹1 crore.

Lucknow Super Giants had signed Deep for ₹8 crore at the mega auction last season. He played only six matches, where he picked up three wickets at an expensive economy rate of 12.05. It will be interesting to see how he performs for KKR.

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#3 Anrich Nortje got a pay cut of ₹4.5 crore in IPL 2026 Auction

South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje has moved from Kolkata Knight Riders to the Lucknow Super Giants. The injury-prone pacer got a ₹6.5 crore deal from KKR last season, but he could only play two matches for the Kolkata-based franchise.

KKR decided against retaining him for IPL 2026. Nortje registered for the mini auction with a base price of ₹2 crore, and LSG signed him for the same amount.

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#4 Wanindu Hasaranga got a pay cut of ₹3.25 crore in IPL 2026 Auction

Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has moved from the Rajasthan Royals to the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Hasaranga got a ₹5.25 crore contract from RR in IPL 2025, but he only returned with nine runs and 11 wickets in 11 matches.

RR released him from their squad, and there wasn't much interest for the all-rounder in the IPL 2026 Auction. Lucknow Super Giants managed to sign him at his base price of ₹2 crore.

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#5 Rahul Tripathi got a pay cut of ₹2.65 crore in IPL 2026 Auction

Rahul Tripathi had a disastrous season with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. The top-order batter failed to justify his ₹3.4 crore price tag at CSK, which is why the Super Kings did not hesitate to end their association with him after just one season.

Tripathi's former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders has decided to give him one more opportunity to prove himself at the grand stage of IPL. KKR signed him at his base price of ₹75 lakh, which is ₹2.65 crore less than his previous IPL salary.

Edited by Vinay Chhabria