Steve Smith Confirms His Price for the IPL 2026 Auction

Steve Smith has announced that he will be available for the IPL 2026 edition. This comes as a nostalgic moment for the fans, and several teams might have also set their eyes on him. Also, Smith has revealed what would be his base price in the auction.

The Indian Premier League had its golden era when the Australian stars were also there. And this list includes players such as David Warner, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, and a lot more. Finally, fans could get a chance to watch Steve Smith mark his comeback to the Indian Premier League

In an interview with Kevin Pietersen, Smith talked about the possibility of him playing in the next IPL edition. He has confirmed that he will be available to play the entire season, while talking about his sweet IPL memories with KP. Which team would be targeting Smith to their line-up in the IPL auction remains a big question.

1. Smith Confirms IPL Availability

As the Ashes come closer, so does the reunion of some old rivals turned friends. This also happened with Kevin Pietersen and Steve Smith. While Smith would be leading Australia in the first Test, Pietersen would be a part of the commentary panel. Before the series begins, both of them had a reunion, with Pietersen

They talked about the moments they had together in the Indian Premier League. Both Kevin Pietersen and Steve Smith have been a part of this prestigious tournament, but fans have not seen them over the last few seasons. Pietersen also asked Smith whether he will be playing in the next edition of the IPL or not.

To this, Steve Smith replied by saying that he will surely play in the next season of the tournament. But it should be noted that Smith is currently not a part of any team in the IPL. Kevin Pietersen asked him what would be his base price in the of the tournament.

Steve Smith replied to this question hilariously by saying that it would be max. If this is true, Smith has just confirmed that his base price would be 2 crore rupees in the IPL. Teams with a high purse could be having a bid war for Steve Smith, noting his experience across the shortest format of the game.

2. Pietersen and Smith's IPL Memories

In the video, it was seen that Kevin Pietersen and Steve Smith were remembering their moments together in the IPL. They were a part of the same team only once in the IPL, which was for Rising Pune SuperGiants. A team which came for just two seasons was enough to give some nostalgic moments to both of the legendary stars.

In IPL 2016, Steve Smith was able to play just 8 games and was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Still, he was able to give his best contribution to the team, scoring 270 runs in 7 innings at an average of 45, with a strike rate above 150.

For Kevin Pietersen, it should be noted that IPL 2016 was his last, as he took a retirement after the same. And he was only able to play four games for the team, before being ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Pietersen scored 76 runs for the team in these games, but his strike rate remained low.

Overall, Rising Pune SuperGiants did not have a good outing in their first ever IPL season. The team was not able to finish well, as they ended up 7th in the league stages with 5 wins and 9 losses in 14 matches. The only season where Pietersen and Smith played together didn't hold a good ending for both of them.

3. Smith's Last IPL Season

The last time Indian fans saw Steve Smith play in the Indian Premier League was back in IPL 2021. He was bought by Delhi Capitals in the auction, for a price of 2.2 crore rupees. And it should also be noted that Smith had a base price of 2 crores, which is the same as what he has set this time for the IPL 2026 auction.

This decision did not come in the favour of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021, as Smith was not able to perform well. He scored just 152 runs in 7 innings at an average of 25.33 only. Moreover, his strike rate was low at 112.59, and eventually, Delhi Capitals decided to drop him for the remaining games.

Following this, Steve Smith was never seen to play with any IPL team. He was also a part of the IPL Mega Auction, and had a base price of 2 crore. But no team showed interest to have Steve Smith to their team, and he went unsold.