India, Dec. 9 -- In a significant reshaping of the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has whittled down its initial longlist of 1,390 players to a compact pool of 350 - a reduction of nearly 75 per cent. The refined roster, finalised after several rounds of exchanges with franchises, also features 35 surprise inclusions who were not part of the original spreadsheet circulated to teams.

The auction is scheduled for December 16 at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena, beginning at 1 pm local time (2:30 pm IST), the board informed franchises late Monday night.

Among the unexpected entries, the most eye-catching is South Africa's Quinton de Kock. The wicketkeeper-batter, absent from the preliminary list, wa...