According to several reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalised November 15 as the deadline for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to submit their retention picks before the next season. The teams would look to maintain their core squad and free up their purse as much as possible to acquire new talents in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.
Let’s take a look at which expensive players might be on the franchises’ release lists to increase their budget for the IPL 2026 auction.
The IPL 2024 champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), had placed immense belief in their IPL 2021 debutant, Venkatesh Iyer. The southpaw had grabbed plenty of attention with his whirlwind knocks in the debut season and also played a key role in the side’s third title-winning campaign.
But the franchise was forced to retain only six players of their trophy-winning squad before the IPL 2025. That being said, KKR spent a mammoth INR 23.75 crores to bring Venkatesh back in their squad. However, as expected, the move not only impacted the team’s auction strategy but also the player’s performance in the following season.
Though the Madhya Pradesh batter denied any kind of price-tag pressure on him, it still reflected on his poor IPL 2025 stats. The 30-year-old managed to put up only 142 runs in 11 league-stage matches, averaging a below-par 20.28, with a strike rate of 139.21. But considering his potential, the management might opt to buy him back again in the IPL 2026 auction at a relatively lesser price.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) went to the IPL 2025 player auction with only two retentions. But they had built an extraordinary core group that saw them qualify for their second Final in the tournament’s history. Though Shreyas Iyer and Co. stumbled at the final hurdle and could not claim their maiden IPL title in the previous season, the management is expected to back the current squad to accomplish their unfulfilled feat in the IPL 2026.
The franchise’s one of the very few releases could be the spin wizard, Yuzvendra Chahal. Following the release of the IPL’s highest wicket-taker from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) squad, they spent a huge amount of INR 18 crore to acquire the leg-spinner. But the bowler had an average season compared to his huge price tag. Chahal bagged 16 wickets in 14 matches for the Men in Red, at an economy of 9.55.
The IPL 2024 runner-up, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), would look to fix a lot of things after finishing sixth in the latest season of the cash-rich league. One of them could be to find a replacement for Ishan Kishan, whom they acquired for a huge amount of INR 11.25 crores.
The swashbuckling opener, who had seven smashing seasons for the five-time IPL-winners, Mumbai Indians (MI), could not replicate a similar form for his new franchise, while coming in at No.3. He scored 354 runs at a strike rate of 152.58, which included only one half-century in 14 group-stage fixtures.
Another player whom the PBKS might release in a bid to include an Indian all-round option could be Marcus Stoinis. The INR 11 crore recruit of the Punjab outfit scored 160 runs at a blistering strike rate of 186.04 and also snared a wicket in 13 IPL 2025 fixtures.
But the franchise might look to strengthen their Indian core a bit more while releasing the Australian all-rounder. Notably, they have another Aussie all-round option in the form of Mitchell Owen for just INR 3 crores, who showcased a tremendous form in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025.
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The star South African bowler, Kagiso Rabada, did not have an impactful debut season for the GT in the IPL 2025. Despite having an average outing in the last two IPL editions for the PBKS, the Titans spent INR 10.75 crore to add him to their squad for the IPL 2025.
But the Proteas player only made four appearances for the franchise, scalping only two wickets at an expensive economy of 11.57. The team would definitely look for a better pace bowling option in the upcoming auction to fill the place of Rabada.
The veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has not been able to continue his wicket-taking spree since returning from the ankle injury that he suffered during the home ODI World Cup 2023. After an average outing in India’s victorious Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, the seamer went on to put up a disastrous performance in the latest IPL season.
Previously, Shami had an impressive two-year stint with the Gujarat Titans (GT) since the team’s inclusion in the T20 league in 2022. But after the bowler missed the IPL 2024 due to his aforementioned injury, he was released from the GT setup ahead of the IPL 2025.
The SRH had placed huge faith in the veteran seamer to bring him in for INR 10 crores, but Shami continued to endure a lean patch of form and could only manage six scalps in nine matches at an expensive economy of 11.23. This dismal form had also led the team to drop the star pacer from their playing XI for the remaining matches of the season.
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