Bengal T20 League 2026 auction: Shahbaz bags the most money; Shami at 5.2 lakhs, Easwaran at 8 lakhs

The Bengal T20 League officially entered a new era with the conclusion of its first-ever Men’s Player Auction, where strategic bidding and aggressive Right-To-Match (RTM) calls saw franchises commit to a collective purse of ₹4.08 crore. 

The event marked a structural shift for the competition, moving away from previous draft systems to a dynamic auction format that allowed the eight franchises, including the newly added Novus Purulia Royals, to hand-pick their core combinations through targeted investments across five player categories.

The Right to Match card played a big role in the auction

At the heart of the auction drama was the retention of premier all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed. The 31-year-old emerged as the most expensive player of the day after Shrachi Tribes Rarh Tigers utilised the RTM route to secure his services for ₹12.20 lakh.

Auction war for Shahbaz Ahmed!

He was first picked by Novus Purulia Royals for 11.80 lakhs.

But Shrachi Rarh Tigers excised their Right to Match card and bought the all-rounder for 12.20 lakhs, making him the most expensive player of Bengal Pro T20 League 2026 auction so far! pic.twitter.com/PldHVq6gSF

The aggressive use of RTM cards became a recurring theme for established stars; Sobisco Smashers Malda moved quickly to retain pace spearhead Mukesh Kumar for ₹9.60 lakh, while Servotech Siliguri Strikers kept hold of Akash Deep for ₹3 lakh.

The bidding for marquee talent remained fierce throughout the morning. Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers made a significant statement by securing young wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel for ₹10.40 lakh, signalling a clear intent to build around explosive domestic talent.

Meanwhile, the league’s newest entrants, Novus Purulia Royals, were arguably the busiest at the table, splashing out for Sudip Kumar Gharami (₹9.40L), Yuvraj Deepak Keswani (₹8.60L), and former India U19 World Cup winner, Ravi Kumar (₹7.80L).

Former U19 World Cup winner Ravi Kumar receives a bid of 7.8 lakh rupees from Novus Purulia Royal at the Bengal Pro T20 League 2026 auction!

Recently, he was also at the Centre of Excellence and was working with an IPL team as a net bowler! #BengalProT20League pic.twitter.com/2PozAbrNIr

— Koushik Biswas (@kbofficial25) May 10, 2026

Star pacer Mohammed Shami was picked by Servotech Siliguri Strikers for 5.2 lakhs. However, it will be interesting to see how many games he plays after a tough Indian Premier League 2026.

Franchises go big for even U16 stars

Beyond the big-money signings in the A+ and A categories, the league maintained its commitment to the grassroots ecosystem by integrating U19 and U16 categories into the auction pool.

The most notable developmental pick saw 16-year-old Rohit move to Novus Purulia Royals for a substantial ₹5.20 lakh, underlining that the premium franchises are now placing a premium on long-term prospects.

Reflecting on the auction's success, CAB President Sourav Ganguly emphasised the importance of the new format. "It allows the team owners and coaches to get whichever player they want," Ganguly noted, adding that the competition is designed to benefit players across India by providing a platform that "gets better and better with time."

10 most expensive players of the Bengal T20 League auction