Cameron Green set for IPL auction, maximum fee capped at INR 18 crore | CricTracker

The Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction is just weeks away, and despite being labelled a mini event, it has historically produced record-breaking paydays. This year, Australian allrounder Cameron Green is expected to be at the centre of a major bidding war on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

Green is tipped to emerge as the most expensive buy of the auction, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the two franchises with the biggest remaining purses, INR 64.3 crore and INR 43.4 crore respectively, likely to compete aggressively for him.

In 2023, Mitchell Starc set the all-time IPL auction record when KKR secured him for INR 24.75 crore, just moments after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought Pat Cummins for INR 20.5 crore, making him the first-ever player to breach the INR 20-crore mark. Those massive deals surpassed Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) INR 18.5 crore signing of Sam Curran in the previous mini-auction.

Green was the second-most expensive player at the 2023 auction when Mumbai Indians (MI) bought him for INR 17.5 crore. A year later, MI traded him to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the same amount. Across two IPL seasons (2023 and 2024), Green has featured in 29 matches, scoring 707 runs at a strike rate of 153.70.

For this year’s auction, Green has entered at the maximum base price of INR 2 crore. However, even if he attracts bids beyond INR 20 crore again, the final fee paid to him cannot exceed INR 18 crore. This is due to the ‘maximum fee rule’ introduced by the IPL last year after franchises expressed concerns that certain overseas players were exploiting the heightened demand during mini-auctions.

Under the rule, overseas players cannot be paid more than INR 18 crore, matching the highest retention slab used before the 2025 mega auction. If bidding surpasses INR 18 crore, any excess amount will not go to the player, instead, the BCCI will direct that surplus towards player welfare initiatives.

With massive purses in play and strong demand for a quality allrounder, all eyes will be on how high the bidding climbs for Green, despite the cap on his official earnings.

“Any overseas player’s auction fee at a small auction will be lower than the highest retention price [of INR 18 crore] and the highest auction price at the big auction. In case the highest auction price at the big auction is INR 20 crore, then INR 18 crore will be the cap. If the highest auction price at a big auction is INR 16 crore, then the cap will be INR 16 crore,” an IPL note read as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Under the rule going forward, the auction for a player will proceed as usual until the player is sold, and the final bid amount will be deducted from the franchise’s auction purse.

“The incremental amount over INR 16 or 18 crore, as the case may be, will be deposited with the BCCI. The incremental amount deposited with BCCI will be utilised towards players’ welfare,” the note read.

The maximum-fee rule does not apply to Indian players, who will receive the full bid amount, which will be deducted from the franchise’s auction purse. A total of 77 slots are up for grabs at the auction, including 31 reserved for overseas players. Among the longlist, there are 16 capped Indian players, which will be finalised once franchises submit their confirmed wishlist to the IPL by December 5.

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