Karun Nair emerged as the biggest buy at the 2026 Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 player auction in Bengaluru, with Coastal Kings Mangaluru securing him for ₹18 lakh on Friday. R. Smaran also drew strong interest, as Shivamogga Yodhas picked him up for ₹15.75 lakh after his consistent run of more than 350 runs in each of the last two editions.
India batter K.L. Rahul went unsold, a result that was largely expected because he is currently part of India’s home series against Afghanistan and is also likely to be included in the squad for the white-ball tour of England in July. His national-team commitments also influenced bidding on other India players, with Mysuru Warriors acquiring Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna for ₹2.6 lakh each.
Mysuru Warriors also strengthened their line-up by signing L.R. Chethan for ₹11.5 lakh and V. Vyshak for ₹8.25 lakh. Hubli Tigers made two notable purchases, bringing in Abhinav Manohar for ₹13.50 lakh and Mayank Agarwal for ₹11.5 lakh. Gulbarga Mystics added Manish Pandey for ₹12.75 lakh and Macneil Noronha for ₹12.25 lakh. Noronha had recently been called up by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement player.
Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters’ most expensive buy was all-rounder Shubhang Hegde, who went for ₹11 lakh. The tournament is scheduled to run from June 20 to July 12.
