![Vijay Shankar and Karn Sharma as uncapped players. [Source - AFP Photos]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1765286447866_ms_dhoni_vijay(1).jpg?type=hq)
Vijay Shankar and Karn Sharma as uncapped players. [Source - AFP Photos]
In a significant development, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, former India internationals Vijay Shankar and Karn Sharma have been listed as uncapped Indian players in the players’ list shortlisted to go under the hammer on December 16th. Their inclusion highlights the evolving eligibility rules, continuing the trend started last year when MS Dhoni qualified as an uncapped player.
Just last year, the IPL introduced a rule allowing any Indian whose last international match was at least five years ago to enter the auction or play as an uncapped player. This change has reshaped how several experienced players are classified in the league every year.
Vijay Shankar and Karn Sharma enter IPL 2026 auction as uncapped players
Leading the list of uncapped entries is Karn Sharma, listed in Set 10. The 38-year-old leg-spinner, who featured for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025, last represented India in 2014. His international career spanned only a brief three-month window, featuring in one Test, two ODIs, and a solitary T20I. With more than a decade since that appearance, he qualifies seamlessly under the uncapped rule.
Joining him is all-rounder Vijay Shankar, placed in Set 7. A part of the Chennai Super Kings squad last season, Shankar has played 12 ODIs and nine T20Is, his last outing coming during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. Having crossed the five-year cutoff without an India recall, he too enters the auction as uncapped.
This reclassification also offers valuable flexibility in terms of pricing. While capped players must begin at a minimum base price of ₹75 lakh, uncapped players may go lower. Shankar has opted for ₹30 lakh, Karn Sharma for ₹50 lakh, enhancing their chances of securing bids from teams seeking budget-efficient options.
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