KL Rahul remained unsold in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA 2026 auction due to uncertainty over availability, while Karun Nair became the most expensive player at Rs 18 lakh.

KL Rahul

The player auction for the KSCA 2026 Maharaja Trophy, Karnataka's prestigious T20 league, has concluded. The tournament will be held between June 20 and July 12. The biggest talking point of this auction was Indian Test team vice-captain and star wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul , who went unsold. Rahul, who performed brilliantly for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, scored 593 runs in 14 matches. During the same season, he also set the record for the highest innings played by an Indian male batsman in T20 cricket. Despite this, he remained unsold in the auction.

Doubts about availability caused

Rahul's availability is believed to be the primary reason for his unsold status. As a regular member of the Indian team, he has a busy international schedule. India is scheduled to play the third ODI against Afghanistan on June 20th, while the ODI series against England is also scheduled for July 14th.
When asked about Rahul's availability during the auction, the auctioneer indicated that he was unlikely to play in the tournament. This uncertainty led to no franchise bidding for him.

Karun Nair gets the highest bid

Indian batsman Karun Nair fetched the highest price in the auction. He was bought by Coastal Kings Mangaluru for ₹18 lakh, making him the most expensive player of the season. Meanwhile, Shivamogga Yoddhas, a debutant in the league, bought young batsman Ravichandran Smaraman, who had played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, for ₹15.75 lakh. Additionally, teams added Abhinav Manohar for ₹13.5 lakh, Manish Pandey for ₹12.75 lakh, and Mayank Agarwal for ₹11.50 lakh. All these players were included in the list of most expensive players in the auction.

Six teams will participate

This will be the fifth edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. Six teams will participate in the tournament: Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters, Hubli Tigers, Mysore Warriors, Gulbarga Mystics, Coastal Kings Mangaluru, and Shivamogga Yoddhas. The tournament will once again provide a chance for many experienced and young players from Karnataka to showcase their talent, while the auction results have generated considerable buzz even before the season begins.