India, Dec. 2 -- The INR 2 cr base-price bracket for IPL 2026 mini-auction looks glamorous on paper, but for several overseas names, it could easily become a trap rather than a launchpad. With only 77 slots (31 for overseas players) available across 10 teams, a chunk of this top-tier group is almost certain to be pruned when franchises submit their shortlists before December 5.

Strip away the star power of Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Gerald Coetzee, Devon Conway, and others, you are left with a tier of players whose role, recent IPL record, fitness, or availability simply may not justify an INR 2 cr starting point in a tight mini-auction.

The 2 crore tag does two things at once: it signals co...