The retention deadline for IPL 2026 will close on November 15.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has delivered 18 blockbuster seasons to date. And in each of those seasons, one message has been loud and clear – to expect the unexpected! The trade rumours on social media started many moons ago. With the IPL 2026 retention deadline coming close, fans would be left surprised once again.
As the countdown to the IPL 2026 season awaits, franchises will be gearing up to fine-tune their squads further. The best way to get to that destination would be to chop and change a few things in the team. And that is exactly why the mini auction would be important.
The franchises are expected to submit their releases and retention lists for IPL 2026 ahead of the deadline on November 15. We discuss some of the releases that might be served with a dip of controversy, en route to the 19th edition of the IPL.
Him being released by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is enough to send shockwaves across the IPL fraternity. Rishabh Pant, currently known to be one of the most destructive batters in the Indian setup, has had hit altercations with injuries in the recent past.
The fact that he hasn’t had a lot of game time in the limited-overs format could be a reason for the franchise to release him before IPL 2026. Though he struck 269 in 14 innings in the last season, 118 of those came in a single inning. His average was around the 25-run mark, which was not substantial for a batter in the middle order.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter was traded to the Delhi Capitals (DC) last season. In 13 games, Rahul scored 539 runs and was one of the highest run-scorers of the tournament. Having said that, there are better opportunities with other franchises for the 33-year-old. Teams like KKR are interested in looking out for Rahul due to the vast set of skills. A wicketkeeper, captain, and a top-order batter are all the roles which the Knights will get in a single player.
This will be one of the instances where the release will not be on the basis of performance. However, after the season he has had in his maiden stint with the Capitals, it would be extremely hard for the franchise and fans to let him go for IPL 2026. But if the move happens, you heard it first on social media!
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It was not long ago that Mohammed Siraj earned the hearts of every Indian fan after his heroics in the 5th Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, Siraj is yet to prove his mettle in the IPL, and that might result in some tough calls from the Gujarat Titans. The 31-year-old pacer wore the GT outfit after representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for seven seasons.
But the issue was his economy. In the previous season, Siraj’s economy stood at 9.24 runs per over, which was his second-highest in the five recent seasons of the IPL. Though the speedster has pace in his wings, control is a bit of an issue in the shortest format. Additionally, Siraj has not shown a lot of variations in the league, often in the death overs. It’d be interesting to see how Shubman Gill-led side treats the Indian bowler ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans are not going to like this. Andre Russell has been one of the first players to be picked in the playing XI ahead of any match. Though nothing about consistency, it was about the impact which he created on the field. Few players in the world have a diverse resume like the West Indies all-rounder. Russell has played in almost every franchise league in the world. But in recent years, Russell’s average has gone down and has not shown any promising signs of growth.
The all-rounder from the Caribbean has been inconsistent lately in the IPL too. Though his strike rates have fared well, his ability to produce impactful performances has decreased. In 13 innings, the 37-year-old managed to score only 167 runs and take eight wickets. Yet, if Russell is released ahead of IPL 2026 auction, it’d be a shocker for pundits and fans alike.
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