Ahead of the IPL 2026 min-auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16, R Ashwin has flagged uncapped Indian wicket-keeper batters as the sneaky market-movers, the kind of names that trigger a miss one, overpay for the next chain reaction. With franchises chasing flexibility and Indian middle-order depth, Ashwin believes at least one of the two could end up going much higher than expected.
Ashwin, speaking to senior journalist Vimal Kumra on the YouTube channel chat show Ash ki baat, named Kartik Sharma and Salil Arora as the pair most likely to set off that bidding war, while also highlighting Tamil Nadu’s Tushar Raheja as another uncapped pick with real value.
Ravichandran Ashwin argues for Sharma and Arora
When asked who Ashwin think will be going for a high price in the auction, Ashwin said, “Bohot mushkil hain. To stick out your neck and say, yeh jayega bohot paiso ke lie. But do playero ke beech mein, I think one will go expensive. One is Kartik Sharma and the other is Salil Arora, jo Punjab ka player hain.”
“Salil Arora, abhi usne say run banaya hain and before that also, woh bhi wicketkeeper batsman hain. So, jo bhi team Kartik Sharma ko miss karega na, woh Salil Arora ke peehce bhagega. Or the other way around. If Salil Arora comes first, uske peeche bhagega. Usko jo team miss karega, they will go behind Kartik Sharma. Is auction mein uncapped players ka value rahega. Ek aur jo player ka value rahega, that is Tushar Raheja, Tamil Nadu ka player hain,” Ashwin explained the auction dynamics of the two players.
The logic is auction psychology: teams don’t just buy players, they buy solutions. If a franchise walks in needing an Indian keeper who can bat impactfully in the middle order, missing out on one option often forces them to bid harder for the next closest profile, especially when the auction room senses scarcity.
That’s where Salil Arora enters with timing on his side. The Punjab wicketkeeper-batter pushed his name into the conversation with a recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy blitz – 125 off 45 balls featuring 11 sixes and nine fours, the kind of innings that makes scouts nudge each other and owners suddenly remember they need Indian power.
Kartik Sharma and Tushar Raheja are also listed among the uncapped Indian wicketkeepers in the auction pool, both with an INR 30 lakh base price. This means that while the sticker price is low, the demand can make it explode first.
And as Ravichandran Ashwin hinted, this auction’s shape helps uncapped names: the shortlist includes a heavy uncapped presence overall, and the franchises are filling 77 slots, which naturally pushes teams to hunt value.
