What if bowlers were auctioned first in IPL? A new auction scenario explained

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi, will see over 300 players go under the hammer for just 77 available slots. As a mini-auction, most franchises have already retained their core squads, focusing only on filling key gaps for the upcoming season.

Typically, the auction order begins with batters, followed by all-rounders, and finally bowlers. In mega-auctions, however, players appear in mixed marquee sets without any strict order. But the mini-auction structure ensures that the bidding progresses department-wise.

Now, imagine a hypothetical scenario where bowlers enter the auction pool before batters. Taking this year’s mini-auction as an example, the first set includes batters such as Devon Conway, Cameron Green, and Sarfaraz Khan. Meanwhile, notable bowlers like Akash Deep, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, and Maheesh Theekshana appear later in the line-up. If these bowlers were to be auctioned at the very beginning, the dynamics of team planning could shift significantly.

Franchises might be inclined to shape their squads around their bowling units first. Despite T20 cricket often being labelled a batter-dominated format, especially in India, where high-scoring encounters and totals exceeding 200 are common, and even 250-plus scores are no longer rare, the bowlers remain equally essential. They may not receive the same glamour or spotlight as batters, but their impact, particularly during powerplay and death overs, is undeniable.

If bowlers were auctioned first, teams might prioritise securing quality pacers and spinners early, fearing scarcity later in the auction. As a result, the bidding wars for top bowlers could intensify, driving their prices significantly higher. This shift would naturally reduce the purse available for franchises when the batters’ sets eventually arrive. In turn, the financial value of bowlers might increase, while some batters could surprisingly go for lower-than-expected amounts due to reduced budgets.

Moreover, franchises could find themselves building more bowling-centric squads, emphasising powerplay swing bowlers, middle-overs spinners, and reliable death specialists, in an attempt to create a balanced unit capable of defending totals and controlling opposition line-ups. In essence, auctioning bowlers first could dramatically alter team strategies, leading to stronger bowling foundations and potentially reshaping how franchises approach squad construction in the cash-rich league.