IPL 2026: Former CSK batter feels MI, RCB had better auction strategies

Former Chennai Super Kings batter Subramaniam Badrinath has revealed why he feels Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the two most successful franchises as far as the execution of the strategies at the table for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is concerned.

Badrinath highlighted how MI and RCB had retained most of their squad members from the previous season and did not have to recalibrate their setup as much as CSK had to, given their forgettable 2025 season. He highlighted how MI and RCB replicated the trend successful teams have been following of spending less during the mini auction. 

"I think MI and RCB had the best auction. Because if you are very active in the mini auction, it means somewhere you've not done something right. That's why you are changing everything. So, it starts much before, like who you retain. You should spend more in the mega auction and less in the mini auction. That's what the successful teams have done over the years," Badrinath said via JioStar.

"That way, MI and RCB entered the auction itself with swag, knowing they had everything set already. If there is a match tomorrow, these two teams could have played it without the auction," he added.

MI and RCB had a maximum of five and eight slots, respectively, to fill ahead of the auction. They made some smart purchases at the auction too. The five-time champions were knocked out in Qualifier 2 in IPL 2025. On the other hand, RCB broke their trophy drought and won their maiden IPL title, which came under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar.

While the 1.00 crore spent on Quinton de Kock was the costliest purchase for MI at the table in Abu Dhabi, Venkatesh Iyer got INR 7.00 crore to play for the defending champions in 2026. CSK, on the other hand, spent a whopping 14.20 crore each on uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, as the duo made headlines as the joint-most expensive uncapped players in the history of the IPL auctions.