The excitement of IPL 2026 continues until the players’ auction. The Abu Dhabi mega auction brought in crores of rupees to some players yet many top talents remained unsold. The BCCI has reassured these players that their IPL hopes are not over the introduction of the Registered Available Player Pool RAPP which contains 1307 unsold players who can enter the season at any time.
What is the RAPP List?
The RAPP list includes all players who registered for the IPL auction and remained available until the last moment. Teams utilize this pool to replace players who sustain injuries or decide to leave the tournament. The replacement player selection process requires franchises to choose from this list which maintains fair competition and team readiness throughout the season.
Star Foreign Players in the Pool
This year’s RAPP list features several international stars:
- Steve Smith (Australia)
- Reece Topley (England)
- Jonny Bairstow (England)
- Jamie Smith (England)
- Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand, Base Price ₹2 crore) – recently Player of the Series in the India-New Zealand series, a strong candidate for replacement slots.
Indian Stars Waiting for a Chance
Top Indian players also feature prominently:
- Mayank Agarwal
- KS Bharat
- Deepak Hooda
- Navdeep Saini
- Chetan Sakaria
- Sandeep Warrier
- Umesh Yadav (Base Price ₹75 lakh)
Long tournaments increase injury risks for players especially pacers which makes it more probable that teams will use veteran bowlers like Saini and Umesh to fill in as replacements.
Rules for Replacement Picks
- Franchises must pay at least the base price set during the auction.
- Players can move to a franchise offering a replacement contract even if another team had initially intended to use them as net bowlers.
- The 1307 Euro’s of the RAPP assure springiness for international as well as domestic players.
The IPL 2026 season will experience continuous action through this system which enables unsold players to demonstrate their skills while teams keep their rosters complete during the entire competition.
