Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has predicted the top five expensive players in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. Chopra named three candidates for the fifth spot. The renowned commentator named three candidates – Matheesha Pathirana, David Miller and Anrich Nortje, for the fifth place.
The former Delhi cricketer reckons the South African duo of David Miller and Anrich Nortje could bag a good amount if they perform well in the ongoing T20I series against India. Pathirana was also released by CSK ahead of the auction.
“There is the South Africa series going on, so there is going to be some recency bias. I’ve kept Matheesha Pathirana, David Miller, and Anrich Nortje at No.5. If Nortje and Miller perform well against India, then they will get a lot of money,” Chopra said in a clip posted on X.
Chopra reckons Michael Bracewell and Cooper Connolly could be the potential targets for Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings respectively.
“There should be a lot of interest for Michael Bracewell, but unfortunately, there isn’t. CSK, you need an offie, he does bat well too. So CSK should think about him. Ricky Ponting has an overseas slot empty now, so Connolly is an option there,” Chopra opined.
For the next two positions, the former KKR player named the English batting pair of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.
“Livingstone has been an underperformer; he has been underwhelming, whether it be for Punjab or RCB. But, it is all about Supply and Demand now, there are no explosive middle-order players, even Maxi (Maxwell) is not there now. So, I think Livingstone will make money this time too,” Chopra said.
“I have kept Jonny Bairstow at No.2. He has hit a lot, and played a few matches for the Mumbai Indians last season as well. Plenty of teams can go after him. KKR need a keeper-batter, and DC need an explosive batter at the top of the order, so I think there will be a lot of interest for him,” he added.
To conclude, Chopra picked Cameron Green as the most expensive player in the upcoming auction.
“Cameron Green will be at No.1, there is nobody even coming close. How much ever the final price is, he is only going to get the maximum cap of INR 18 crore, but the bid, it could be a proper bidding war. There will be KKR and there will be CSK, and there will some other team that jumps in before CSK, it could actually be 25 to 28 crore for him,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
The IPL 2026 auction is all set to take center stage on December 16, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
