Mega Auction vs Mini Auction IPL: Explained

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest cricketing league in the world and has transformed the lives and careers of several players. It’s the dream of every cricketer to play in the tournament, due to the exposure of rubbing shoulders with the top talent in the world.

Every year, the IPL auction changes the lives of hundreds of players due to the amount of money involved in the bidding process. Every edition, several players take home huge sums, with teams fighting amongst themselves to have them in their squads. 

The first-ever IPL auction took place in 2008 as legendary India captain MS Dhoni became the most expensive player of the inaugural edition, being sold for a whopping USD 1.5 million to Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Different types of IPL auction

Notably, there are two kinds of IPL auctions: mega auction and mini auction. The mega auction usually happens after a three-year cycle to overhaul all the teams involved. Teams are allowed a maximum number of retentions ahead of the mega auction, which was revised to six players in 2024. Out of these, a maximum of five can be capped players (Indian & Overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped players.

As per the IPL 2025 mega auction guidelines, teams were given a retention slab for every player, which was INR 18 crore for the first retention, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore again for the fourth, and INR 14 crore again for the fifth player retained. For every uncapped Indian player, the retention price was fixed at INR 4 Crore.

However, there was no maximum cap on price for a particular retention, and teams could also retain players for a lesser amount than the prescribed retention cap, if they agreed to it. Teams had to spend a minimum of 75 crore to retain five capped players, which could also be extended. 

However, even if they spent less than 75 crore to retain five players, the amount deducted from the total purse (INR 125 Crore) would still be 75 crore as per the rules.

What is a mini auction?

They are then required to build the rest of the squad from the remaining amount from the total purse, which was fixed at Rs 125 Crore for the 2026 edition. Teams are also provided with a Right to Match (RTM) card if they retain fewer than six players ahead of the auction as per the current rules.

On the other hand, the mini auction happens during the years between the mega auction. It has no such rules on maximum retentions for every team, and they're allowed to release and retain as many players as they like. In mini auctions, the purse amount depends on the price of the released and retained players.

List of IPL auction types from 2008- 2026: