IPL 2026 Auction: Who Are Prashant Veer & Kartik Sharma That CSK Could Not Afford Losing? Rs 28.40 Crore Bid

The 2026 IPL auction sent shockwaves in the cricket world, with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings making some of the historic bids. In the 2026 auction, demand for youth and uncapped players was high. And among them are also Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, two young cricketers whom CSK could not afford to lose at all costs. Instead, CSK went all-out to bid Rs 14.20 crore each on Sharma and Veer, making them the most expensive uncapped buys in IPL's history.

IPL 2026 Auction:

CSK spent Rs 28.40 crore in total for Sharma and Prashant. The two uncapped players hold the third and fourth most expensive buys rank in IPL 2026 season.

The third largest buy of CSK is Akeal Hosein with Rs 2 crore bid.

Who Is Kartik Sharma?

Many teams wanted Kartik. Mumbai Indians started the bidding with a base price of Rs 30 lakh for getting him, however, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants roared with bids more than Rs 5 crore. But CSK clashed with KKR with neck-to-neck bidding, and even Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the race at the late minute to disrupt their chase. At the end, CSK hailed with Rs 14.20 crore bid for Kartik and eventually securing the 19-year-old.

Kartik is a right-handed batsman and played the role of wicketkeeper batter for Rajasthan. Kartik is a star in-making. He played for Rajasthan for the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He grabbed attention at first during 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, where he struck a century in his debut. Following this, he made his T20 debut and entered the List A in November and December.

Born in April 2006, Kartik grew up in a middle class family and his biggest inspirations are two former and most-loved Indian cricket team captains namely Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He has expressed his admiration for the two superstars of Indian cricket.

Who Is Prashant Veer?

Born on 24 November 2005, Prashant Veer plays for Uttar Pradesh and has made a name for himself in the shortest format. He is a left-handed batter and a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, usually batting in the lower-middle order. Veer's breakthrough came in the UP T20 League, where he delivered an outstanding season. He scored 320 runs in 10 matches, striking at an impressive 155.34, showing fearless intent and clean hitting. Along with his batting, he also picked up eight wickets, proving his value as a genuine all-rounder. What stood out was his tempo; he did not just score runs, he changed games, as per Cric Wiki.

For Veer, the IPL base price was Rs 30 lakh. However, the bidding turned intense with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) stepping up with serious money to buy him. However, mid-way in the battle, CSK locked horns with LSG followed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining the field.

Eventually, CSK turned victorious with Rs 14.20 crore bids for the all-rounder.