IPL 2026: Why Steve Smith’s name didn’t come out in the mini-auction?

The IPL 2026 mini-auction took place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025, as all teams added some significant names to build strong squads for the upcoming season. However, interestingly, Australia’s Steve Smith’s name did not come up for the auction despite being included in the primary list of 369 available players.

Initially, Smith’s name was listed in the 77th position in the 11th set, which meant he was available only for the accelerated rounds. As per the rules, the first 10 sets, consisting of 70 players, were bound to come up for the auction, while the remaining 299 players depended on franchise interest.

Therefore, after the 10th set, when a break was taken, teams were asked to submit a list of players they wanted for the accelerated rounds. Unfortunately, Smith’s name did not feature in any of the lists. Even in the final round of 17 players, Smith failed to find a place as no franchise showed interest in the Australian batter.

Steve Smith’s IPL career

Smith has represented four IPL franchises so far — Pune Warriors (2012, 2013), Rajasthan Royals (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020/21), Rising Pune Supergiants (2016, 2017), and Delhi Capitals (2021). In 93 innings, he has scored 2,485 runs at an average of 34.51 and a strike rate of 128.09, including 11 fifties and one century. 

Since IPL 2021, he has not featured in the tournament, and the wait continued as no team showed interest in the recently concluded IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Meanwhile, things worsened for Smith as he missed the ongoing third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide. Just before the start of play on December 17, Cricket Australia confirmed that he was suffering from vertigo-like symptoms. Smith batted in the nets and later spoke with coach and selector Andrew McDonald before leaving the ground during warm-ups.

Smith has been in good form in the ongoing Ashes, captaining the side in two victories so far. With the bat, he has scored 103 runs in four innings at an average of 51.50, including a fifty. However, Usman Khawaja was named as his replacement in the playing XI in Adelaide.

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