As the countdown to the Indian Premier League 2026 mini-auction intensifies, each franchise has completed its strategic reshuffle through the official IPL 2026 Retention List. This includes a detailed breakdown of IPL 2026 Retained Players — the core assets each team trusts for the upcoming season — and the IPL 2026 Released Players, those department-moves that free up purse space and signal fresh directions. Unlike previous years, there is no hard cap on the number of players a franchise can keep, provided squad size and salary-cap rules are met
Across all ten teams, we now have a clearer picture of which squads are focused on continuity and which are preparing for larger transformations. In this post, we dive into each franchise’s full list of retentions and releases — a must-read for fans and insiders gearing up for IPL 2026.
Retention Rules & Timeline
For IPL 2026, each team must submit its player retention list by 15 November 2025. According to reports, while there’s no fixed cap on number of players a team can retain in this mini-auction window, squads must remain within the 25-player maximum and adhere to the salary cap (~₹120 crore) for the season.
These dynamics mean that franchises are weighing performance, age, cost and balance before committing to key players.
Possible IPL 2026 Retention List: Retained Players and Released Players
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
RCB, fresh off their title-win in 2025, have opted to mostly retain their core batting and overseas firepower. According to one report: “RCB are unlikely to tinker with their top-order. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt formed a successful opening partnership… Rajat Patidar captained the team to the coveted first title.” In contrast, the released list largely features players who under-performed (Yash Dayal) or simply didn’t feature. This signals RCB’s intent for continuity.
Retained Players
Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma, Swastik Chikara
Released Players
Liam Livingstone, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR appear to focus on retaining experienced all-rounders (Russell, Narine) and spin options (Varun Chakaravarthy) while releasing some big overseas names who perhaps did not fit the 2025 script. The released list has several high-profile names who may free up budget for new acquisitions.
Retained Players
Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Chetan Sakariya
Released Players
Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Rovman Powell, Venkatesh Iyer, Anrich Nortje
Delhi Capitals (DC)
DC’s strategy seems clear: retain a stable top-order (KL Rahul, Faf) and key Indian bowling options (Kuldeep, Axar), while releasing fringe players who did not contribute consistently. According to NDTV: “The biggest buzz … is about KL Rahul … Reports claim that KKR have shown strong interest … but DC are not keen on letting go … DC’s management views Rahul as central to their top-order plans.” Hence, DC are keeping their base and aiming for selective reinforcement.
Retained Players
Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Darwin Nalkande, Abhishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tristan Stubbs, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan
Released Players
Jake Fraser-McGurk, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Manvanth Kumar, Madhav Tiwari
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
For PBKS, the emphasis seems on retaining a strong Indian core (Iyer, Chahal, Arshdeep) and some overseas firepower (Inglis, Ferguson). Releasing big names like Maxwell and Stoinis suggests performing overseas recruits who didn’t justify their slots may be axed. The released list indicates a clean-up of underused overseas players, likely to free budget.
Retained Players
Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen
Released Players
Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Bartlett, Aaron Hardie
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
RR seem to be investing in youth (Jaiswal, Jurel) and seam/spin mix (Tushar, Theekshana). There is some confusion in public lists about specific names illustrating the fluid nature of retention reporting. Overall, RR’s approach seems moderate – retaining core while leaving room for upgrades.
Retained Players
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Kumar Kartikeya, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Wanindu Hasaranga
Released Players
Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nandre Burger, Maheesh Theekshana
Trade Talks
Sanju Samson to CSK
Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran to RR
Mumbai Indians (MI)
As five-time champions, MI have opted for stability at the top (Sharma, Bumrah) and global stars (Wills, Santner, Jacks). They’re releasing a few overseas players who may not have contributed enough. The lesson: MI are preserving their core but also clearing space for tactical picks in the upcoming auction.
Retained Players
Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Arjun Tendulkar, Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Ashwani Kumar
Released Players
Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Lizaad Williams, Raj Bawa
Trade
Shardul Thakur from LSG & Sherfane Rutherford from GT
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
SRH have retained a strong overseas spine (Cummins, Head) and some promising Indian bats (Sharma, Kishan). The released list suggests they are trimming older/past-prime options (Shami, Unadkat) to rejuvenate. Their approach: maintain overseas match-winners + refresh the Indian base.
Retained Players
Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhinav Manohar, Kamindu Mendis, Atharva Taide, Aniket Verma, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga
Released Players
Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, Wiaan Mulder, Sachin Baby
Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT are clearly focusing on retaining a balanced mix of youth (Gill, Kushagra), Indian talent (Sundar, Suthar) and overseas pace (Rabada, Siraj). The released list again emphasises overseas players who perhaps did not make the cut. GT appear poised for continuity over wholesale change.
Retained Players
Shubman Gill, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Rashid Khan,Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Mohammad Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar
Released Players
Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Karim Janat
Trade
Sherfane Rutherford to MI
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
LSG have a strong list of retained players, especially at the top (Pant, Markram) and in their Indian developmental ranks (Hangargekar, Badoni). The release list includes older overseas names or those not contributing.
Retained Players
Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, Aryan Juyal, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmad, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Prince Yadav, William O’Rourke, Ravi Bishnoi
Released Players
Shamar Joseph, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Akash Singh, David Miller
Trade
Shardul Thakur to MI
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
CSK have stayed largely loyal to their core and preserved a mix of youth and overseas talent. The released list shows they are trimming those who didn’t meet expectations or whose future value may be limited. They appear to favour continuity and incremental refresh rather than radical overhaul.
Retained Players
MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Shivam Dube, Nathan Ellis, Dewald Brevis, Rachin Ravindra, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary
Released Players
Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Gurjapneet Singh
Trade Talks
Sanju Samson to CSK
Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran to RR
Final Word
As the countdown to the Indian Premier League 2026 heats up, each franchise has submitted its complete IPL 2026 Retention List, identifying which players they’ll hold on to and which will hit the market. This list is divided into the IPL 2026 Retained Players, those trusted to form the core next season, and the IPL 2026 Released Players, those freed up ahead of the mini-auction. With the retention deadline set for November 15, 2025, teams face few limits on numbers this time — but still must respect the squad size and salary-cap rules.
The strategic decisions ahead are massive: hold the pillars or shake up the roster. Below, we’ll dig into each of the 10 franchises and list their full retained and released players.
Related Blog: WPL Retention 2026
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