Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL 2026 Auction in Dubai on Tuesday.

Despite being sold for Rs. 25.20 crore, Green will pocket only Rs. 18 crore.

Here is why:

Ahead of the 2025 mega auction, the IPL introduced a “maximum fee” cap for overseas players, a response to a pattern franchises had grown increasingly uncomfortable with. Several high-profile overseas players had begun skipping mega auctions and reappearing only at mini auctions, where scarcity and desperation drove prices to unsustainable levels.

The league stepped in. The logic was simple: no overseas player should earn more than the highest retention slab available to franchises. That figure currently stands at Rs. 18 crore.

What will happen to the excess amount?

The final bid amount will be deducted in full from the franchise’s purse. But the player does not receive anything above the cap. The excess money does not vanish either. The IPL has said it will be redirected towards BCCI-run player welfare programmes.

This means KKR will pay Green Rs. 18 crore, with the rest amount of Rs. 7.20 crore going to BCCI.

Published on Dec 16, 2025