IPL 2026: Green to bowl, blames manager 'stuff-up' for batter tag

Cameron Green confirmed he will bowl in IPL 2026, saying his registration as a 'batter' was a 'stuff-up' by his manager. The allrounder, tipped to be a record buy, missed the 2025 season but is back to full fitness for the Dec 16 auction.

Australian allrounder Cameron Green has confirmed that he will be fully available to bowl in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, clarifying that his listing as a batter rather than an allrounder ahead of the auction on Tuesday (December 16) was due to a "stuff-up" by his manager, as per ESPNcricinfo. The 26-year-old, who previously played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023 and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2024, had missed the IPL 2025 season while recovering from back surgery. Green returned to international cricket in June as a specialist batter but has since been cleared to bowl and has been featuring as an allrounder for Australia in the ongoing Ashes series.

Top Prospect for Record Bid

Green is widely tipped to become the most expensive player at Tuesday's IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, with some predicting he could surpass the INR 27 crore (approx. AUD 4.5 million) record set by Rishabh Pant last year. Kolkata Knight Riders, holding the largest remaining budget, are the frontrunners to secure him. Listed with a base price of INR 2 crore (approx. AUD 333,000), Green will be among the first six players to go under the hammer after registering as a batter.

'Accidentally Selected the Wrong Box'

He explained that his manager had "accidentally selected the wrong box" while completing his registration forms, according to ESPNcricinfo. "I'll be good to bowl. I don't know if my manager would like to hear this, but there was a stuff-up on his end. He didn't mean to say 'batter'. I think he accidentally selected the wrong box. It was pretty funny how it's all played out, but it was actually a stuff-up on his end." Green said before Australia's training session in Adelaide on Sunday morning, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Auction Viewing Plans

Green confirmed that he plans to watch the auction, held the night before the third Ashes Test, and expressed curiosity about who his new teammates might be. "I'm sure I will be [watching], with a few other guys. They're always good fun to watch. It's a bit of a lottery where you might go, but also who might be in your team, so it's always been fun to watch." (ANI)

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