Imagine winning the lottery but being told you have to leave a massive chunk of the cash at the door. That is exactly the strange reality Cameron Green faced at the IPL 2026 Mini Auction.
The Kolkata Knight Riders went all out for the Australian all-rounder, engaging in a fierce bidding war with the Chennai Super Kings that finally ended at a staggering ₹25.20 crore. On paper, it was a moment of celebration. A massiverecord-breaking sum that proved just how highly valued Cameron Green is in world cricket. But in a cruel twist of fate, Green won't be taking that full amount home. Despite the massive price tag, his actual salary will be capped at ₹18 crore, meaning he effectively "lost" ₹7.20 crore the moment the gavel hit.
It is a bittersweet scenario. While ₹18 crore is a massive paycheck by any standard, knowing that you earned an extra ₹7.20 crore that you simply cannot touch has to sting. KKR still has to pay the full ₹25.20 crore from their auction purse, so the franchise feels the full weight of the cost, but the player doesn't feel the full weight of the reward.
So, where does the extra money go? The surplus ₹7.20 crore doesn't go to Green’s bank account but goes directly to the BCCI, specifically for the Player Welfare Fund. This unique situation is the result of a new rule designed to keep auction inflation that has been observed in recent seasons in check.
Though the winning bid was for INR 25.2 crore, Cameron Green can only earn INR 18 crore.
This is because of the new "maximum fee" rule that the IPL brought in last year to address the collective concern of franchises that some overseas players were registering exclusively at mini auctions to exploit the supply-demand imbalance. Consequently, the IPL put in the maximum-fee rule where the overseas player cannot be paid more than INR 18 crore, which was the highest slab for franchises retaining players ahead of the 2025 mega auction.
If the bid exceeded the INR 18-crore mark, the additional money, the IPL said, would be utilised by the BCCI for player welfare. In a note to franchises last year, the IPL said: "Any overseas player's auction fee at small auction will be lower than the highest retention price [of INR 18 crore] and the highest auction price at the big auction. In case the highest auction price at the big auction is INR 20 crore, then INR 18 crore will be the cap. If the highest auction price at the big auction is INR 16 crore, then the cap will be INR 16 crore."
