Two overseas stars and a domestic batter makes it to the list.
The IPL 2026 auction is set to take place on December 16. All 10 franchises of the Indian Premier League would be close to finalising their auction strategies based on their retentions and trades. While some have retained most of their IPL 2025 squad, a few have opted for major overhauls.
Having said that, it might open the door for multiple cricketers to head back to their former teams. Let’s take a look at three such players who might be roped in by their ex-franchises in the IPL 2026 auction.
The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has been a brilliant find of the Knights management, and they are likely to include him once again in the KKR squad for IPL 2026. Last year, the Kolkata Knight Riders were forced to release Iyer due to their six key retentions. But the franchise spent a mammoth amount of INR 23.75 crore to acquire him back for the 2025 edition.
During the last mega auction, the reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had engaged in a fiery bidding war with the Knights to rope in the batter. They might bid hard for the 30-year-old once again in the IPL 2026 auction. But with the biggest purse of INR 64.30 crore, KKR are likely to lock in the player to extend his stint in the Purple and Gold outfit.
The South African batter had an underwhelming debut season for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring only 153 runs in 11 fixtures. But previously, Miller had put up 950 runs in 41 matches across three IPL editions for the Gujarat Titans, striking at 145.25. Following the Sherfane Rutherford trade to the Mumbai Indians (MI), the IPL 2022 champions will look for a big-hitting option in their lineup.
This suggests that the chances of the Protea player returning to his former team in the IPL 2026 auction are high. Miller also regained his form after a dismal IPL 2025. He smashed 133 runs in seven The Hundred matches for the Northern Superchargers, at a blistering strike rate of 187.32.
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The Sri Lankan youngster has been a top performer for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The pacer has bagged 47 wickets in his 32 appearances in the yellow outfit so far, maintaining an impressive economy of 8.68. Pathirana had also put up a par show, amidst the team’s IPL 2025 debacle, snaring 13 scalps in 12 fixtures.
Though the franchise included the INR 13 crore recruit in the CSK released players list 2026, they could acquire him again at an affordable price. Several other teams, which have retained the maximum number of their existing players, will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a lower budget. This could help the Chennai outfit, with the second-highest purse of INR 43.30 crore, to rope Pathirana back in the squad.
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