Top 5 players with maximum hike from last season in IPL 2026 auction ft. Liam Livingstone

IPL 2026 auction happened on December 16 at the Etihad Arena. The 10 franchises stacked up their respective squads with some top talents from across the world.

It was a memorable evening for uncapped Indian players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. Both players had never featured in the IPL before, but now, both have a contract worth ₹14.2 crore each as the Chennai Super Kings broke the bank to acquire their services at the IPL 2026 auction.

While Veer and Sharma never played in IPL before, here's a list of five such players who featured in IPL 2025, got released and yet received a massive hike in their IPL deals at the mini auction.

(Please Note: Only the players who played in IPL 2025 and got sold at the IPL 2026 mini auction have been considered for this list.)

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#1 Josh Inglis received a pay hike of ₹6 crore in IPL 2026 auction

Australian wicketkeeper batter Josh Inglis will be unavailable for a major part of IPL 2026. Hence, Punjab Kings decided against retaining him for ₹2.6 crore, the amount which they spent to sign him in IPL 2025.

As expected, Inglis remained unsold initially at the IPL 2026 auction, but in the accelerated round, the Lucknow Super Giants stunned the fans by spending ₹8.6 crore to get Inglis in their squad. Cricket expert Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports Hindi that LSG have probably roped in Inglis with a long-term goal in their mind just like Mumbai Indians signed an injured Jofra Archer in 2022.

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#2 Matheesha Pathirana received a pay hike of ₹5 crore in IPL 2026

Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana was one of the five players retained by the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. CSK spent ₹13 crore to keep Pathirana in their IPL 2025 squad. However, the Super Kings were not happy with his performance and released him.

Considering Pathirana's unique bowling style and impressive performance in other leagues, the other franchises showed enormous interest in his services. Eventually, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for ₹18 crore at the auction.

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#3 Liam Livingstone received a pay hike of ₹4.25 crore in IPL 2026 auction

English all-rounder Liam Livingstone was a member of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team that won the IPL 2025 trophy. RCB paid ₹8.75 crore to Livingstone for his services last season, and because of his average performance, the Royal Challengers did not retain him for IPL 2026.

Surprisingly, Livingstone did not receive a single bid and remained unsold in the first round of the auction. However, in the accelerated round, SunRisers Hyderabad spent ₹13 crore to sign him, meaning Livingstone's IPL salary went up by ₹4.25 crore despite an ordinary season in 2025.

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#4 Mustafizur Rahman received a pay hike of ₹3.2 crore in IPL 2026 auction

Another foreign player to feature on the list is Bangladesh's left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. The left-arm pacer remained unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction but returned to the tournament as a replacement. Delhi Capitals signed him for ₹6 crore as Jake Fraser-McGurk's replacement. However, DC did not retain him.

Rahman was back in the auction pool for IPL 2026, and this time, the Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for ₹9.2 crore. It will be exciting to see how the Bangladeshi pacer performs for his new franchise.

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#5 Lungi Ngidi received a pay hike of ₹1 crore in IPL 2026 auction

South African pacer Lungi Ngidi was a member of RCB's championship-winning squad of IPL 2025 as well. The Bengaluru-based franchise had signed him for just ₹1 crore last season, but they did not retain him for IPL 2026.

Ngidi registered his name with a base price of ₹2 crore in the mini auction. Delhi Capitals were the only franchise to show interest in his services, and they signed him at his base price, giving him a salary hike of ₹1 crore.

Edited by Vinay Chhabria