The inclusion of former India all-rounder Vijay Shankar within the uncapped gamers’ class for the IPL 2026 mini-auction has turn into one of the sudden speaking factors main as much as the December 16 occasion. Regardless of having beforehand represented India in each ODIs and T20Is, his reclassification has sparked appreciable curiosity amongst followers and franchises alike.
Why Vijay Shankar determined to enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction as an uncapped participant?
Shankar’s potential to checklist himself as an uncapped participant, regardless of his worldwide expertise of 12 ODIs and 9 T20Is, is ruled by an IPL regulation launched forward of the 2025 season. This rule particularly applies to Indian gamers and permits a beforehand capped worldwide to be categorized as uncapped if two situations are met: First, the participant should not have been featured within the beginning XI for India throughout any format, Checks, ODIs, or T20Is, within the final 5 calendar years previous the public sale 12 months; and Second, the participant should not maintain a present BCCI central contract.
Shankar’s final look for the Indian nationwide facet was in the course of the 2019 World Cup (Final ODI: June 2019, Final T20I: February 2019). By the point of the 2026 public sale, he will probably be comfortably past the five-year cutoff, and having no central contract, he completely meets the standards. This regulation was notably first utilized to legends like MS Dhoni and veteran pacer Sandeep Sharma, enabling their retention at particular uncapped wage ranges and establishing a transparent precedent for Shankar’s present classification.
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IPL 2026 public sale outlook and and Vijay Shankar’s monetary enchantment
Shankar enters the public sale pool listed within the seventh set, which is devoted to uncapped all-rounders, alongside different home names reminiscent of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Mahipal Lomror. His base worth of the minimal Rs 30 lakh is a vital think about his enchantment to franchises. Whereas his current kind, together with a modest marketing campaign for Tripura within the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy following his launch by Chennai Tremendous Kings (CSK), doesn’t place him as a marquee signing, his low base worth minimizes the danger for any potential purchaser.
At 34 years previous, his worth now lies in his appreciable expertise in big-match IPL conditions and his versatility as a right-handed batter who can bowl dependable medium tempo, providing vital squad depth and stability. For groups trying to fill their roster with economical, skilled Indian all-rounders with out impacting their price range considerably, Shankar represents an interesting, low-cost possibility. His uncapped standing mixed together with his confirmed, albeit inconsistent, monitor report ensures he stays an enchanting and viable choose for the upcoming bidding warfare in Abu Dhabi.
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