High-profile Indian players who could be ignored at the IPL 2026 mini-auction – OneCricket

OneCricket
Indian released players who might go unsold [Source: AFP]
The Indian Premier League (IPL) will return in 2026 with a fresh auction format. This time, the mini auction is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. As usual, some big names have already been released by their teams. 
While a few cricketers may still find new franchises, there are some Indian players whose recent performances and circumstances indicate that they might go unsold. Let’s take a look.
To begin with, Vijay Shankar is the first name on the list, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) picked him for ₹1.2 crore in the previous season. Despite receiving multiple opportunities, his performance did not match expectations.
[Vijay Shankar’s IPL stats from 2023]
Furthermore, the decline in his form has been visible for a while. While he had an impressive strike rate of 160 in 2023, it fell drastically to 115.28 in 2024.  In a league where franchises prefer aggressive batters who can turn games quickly, this drop in scoring rate is a serious concern.
Next on the list is Mohit Sharma, who was bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹2.20 crore last season. Although Mohit has been a reliable IPL bowler over the years and has even won the Purple Cap in the past, age now seems to be catching up with him. At 37 years old, he is not the same force he once was.
[Mohit Sharma’s IPL 2025 stats]
In IPL 2025, the right-arm pacer took only two wickets from eight matches and conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.28, which is very expensive by T20 standards. 
Karn Sharma, who was picked by Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹50 lakh, has also been released despite decent performances. 
Finally, Deepak Hooda is another release. Notably, CSK bought him for ₹1.70 crore, hoping he would add firepower in the middle order. Unfortunately, his performance fell drastically. 

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