India, June 2 -- Every IPL franchise had Rs.120 crore to build a squad. That purse was meant to buy everything: openers, finishers, wicketkeepers, Indian pace, overseas power, spin cover, all-round depth and enough flexibility to navigate the Impact Player rule.

IPL 2026 still produced a brutal market lesson. A complete matchday unit, not just an XI, could be built for Rs.39.85 crore and still look balanced enough to compete with teams assembled at three times the cost.

The core 12-player package is clear: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Krunal Pandya, Jamie Overton, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Kartik Tyagi and Prince Yadav.

The total auction cost: Rs.39.85...