Ravichandran Ashwin, the spin-bowling all-rounder from Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has shared his prediction for the most expensive signings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction. According to Ashwin, franchises are unlikely to let go of marquee Indian players since doing so could be a high-risk move. He expects overseas cricketers, particularly from Australia, to command hefty price tags as teams look to strengthen their squads.
Speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel Ash ki Baat, Ashwin explained, “This will be a mini auction where you’ll find it tough to get Indian players. Maybe only new players will come. The costly picks will be overseas players.” He added, “A franchise releasing a big Indian player is a very risky formula. So many Australian players will come in the auction.”
Backs These Two Stars
Ashwin believes that two Australian all-rounders, Mitchell Owen and Cameron Green, could ignite an intense bidding war. Owen joined Punjab Kings (PBKS) last season as a late replacement for Glenn Maxwell, while Green missed the entire IPL 2025 due to a back surgery and chose to focus on recovery rather than risk injury ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.
“You’ve got Mitchell Owen, who was a replacement player for three games for Punjab Kings. Then you’ve got someone like Cameron Green coming into the auction. They’ll go at a big price because they are foreign all-rounders. The mini-auction will be a game of Rs 25-30 crore for all teams,” Ashwin remarked.
When it comes to their recent performances, Mitchell Owen had a forgettable IPL debut, being dismissed for a duck. However, he showcased his talent in the Major League Cricket (MLC) while representing Washington Freedom, which earned him a call-up to Australia’s T20I squad. In six T20Is, Owen has accumulated 127 runs from five innings at an average of 31.75 and a blistering strike rate of 184.05. He also has a T20I half-century and has taken two wickets with the ball at an average of 23.
Meanwhile, Cameron Green has made a strong return to T20 internationals, scoring 240 runs in six innings at an impressive average of 60 and a strike rate of 173.91. He has registered three half-centuries in the format this year and was named the Player of the Series against the West Indies. Green’s IPL career began with Mumbai Indians (MI) where, in his debut season, he scored 452 runs in 16 innings at an average of 50.22, which included one century and two fifties. Later, playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Green added 255 runs in 12 innings at an average of 31.87, though he did not score any fifties during that stint.
Ashwin’s Dismal Homecoming
Ravichandran Ashwin, who returned to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 after a decade away, played nine matches for the franchise, scoring 33 runs at an average of 8.25 with a highest score of 13 against Rajasthan Royals and a strike rate of 110. With the ball, he took 7 wickets in total, with best figures of 2 for 48 against Punjab Kings, and picked up wickets in five games, including scalps against RR, RCB and MI. This marked a awful season for Ashwin, who fetched a career-high IPL bid of ₹9.75 crore, taking his overall IPL tally to 187 wickets in 221 matches at an economy rate of 7.20.
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