Uncapped Indian talents are always highly sought after during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions. With less than two weeks to go, Rajasthan’s Kartik Sharma has been making the headlines with predictions suggesting that the 19-year-old could become the highest-paid uncapped player at the IPL 2026 auction, set to take place in Abu Dhabi on 16 December.

With most of the franchises retaining their core players during the IPL 2026 retentions, the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will have a busy day at the Eithad Arena, especially to rebuild a strong middle order. Both the franchises will enter the auction with the highest purses among the 10 franchises.

Sharma grabbed attention, especially from former cricketers Kevin Pietersen, Ravichandran Ashwin and Aakash Chopra, for his exploits in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. A wicketkeeper-batter with a good six-hitting ability, Sharma has developed a reputation as a fearless batter, the most demanded aspect in modern-day T20 cricket.

Meet Kartik Sharma – all you need to know

Sharma, who bats at No 4, has played 11 T20s for Rajasthan, scored 316 runs so far, including 27 sixes, and two half-centuries. His strike rate of 164.58 and his ability to take up the finisher’s role are something which the franchises will have an eye on. He has reportedly attended several closed-door IPL trials last season but didn’t find any takers.

Not just in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Tournament, Sharma has also made heads turn with three 100s in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. In 28 matches so far across all formats for Rajasthan in domestic cricket, Sharma’s clean ball striking has been a particular highlight with 77 maximums to his name.

Why is Kartik Sharma rated so highly?

Such was the audacity of Sharma that Pietersen shared one of his six-hitting videos on 20 November. In the video, Sharma hit a pacer for a six straight down the ground. In awe of the young Indian talent, Pietersen retweeted the video with a caption, “Who is this?”

Not just Pietersen, Ashwin too spoke highly of Sharma on his YouTube channel and also drew comparisons with CSK’s Ayush Mhatre. “Kartik Sharma is young and baggage-free. He is a power hitter in the middle order. You can say that you can bank on his talent.

“It is easier to bat there, but for a youngster to come in and create impact in the middle order in T20 cricket is not easy,” Ashwin opined. Chopra felt Sharma could find himself in a bidding war between KKR and CSK.

“I feel they (CSK) will shop for batters. There is a boy named Kartik Sharma. He hits a lot of sixes. He can go to Kolkata as well, as he is a wicketkeeper-batter, and he can also come here. He might be the highest-paid uncapped player in this auction,” added Chopra.

Why KKR, CSK need Kartik Sharma?

With MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson in the side, Sharma won’t be keeping wickets at CSK if picked. Having released a plethora of middle-order batters, Sharma might find himself at Nos 4 or 5 depending on the match situation. More than CSK, KKR are in dire need of a high-performing, consistent wicketkeeper-batter.

If picked, Sharma could fix KKR’s keeping problems, thus freeing up an overseas slot where the three-time champions can play a gun all-rounder. With Andre Russell also retiring, Sharma can fill in perfectly for the finisher’s role along with Rinku Singh.