The IPL 2026 retention deadline closed on November 15, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have confirmed their final list of retained and released players. The CSK remaining purse suggests how aggressive they were with their choices ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Apart from roping in Sanju Samson, they have made a few notable releases to free a significant purse.
After a poor IPL 2025, CSK needed to take some bold steps to prepare well for the next season. They couldn’t have afforded to keep those underperforming players, who showed no improvement, and have parted ways with several big names. The CSK remaining purse also gets boosted due to Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement.
The Sanju Samson trade didn’t affect their purse because Ravindra Jadeja cost them INR 18 crore anyway, while Sam Curran’s trade frees additional INR 2.40 crore. Overall, CSK have a big budget to buy anyone in the auction while already having a settled batting unit. They have a purse of ₹43.30 crores left for the auction.
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The CSK retention list has 16 players, including a trade of Sanju Samson. There are also a few notable names among the CSK released players 2026, including Matheesha Pathirana, who was retained ahead of the mega auction.
| Players | Status | Purse + / – |
| MS Dhoni | Retained | – 4 crore |
| Sanju Samson | Traded | – 18 crore |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Retained | – 18 crore |
| Urvil Patel | Retained | – 30 lakh |
| Ayush Mhatre | Retained | – 30 lakh |
| Dewald Brevis | Retained | – 2.2 crore |
| Jamie Overton | Retained | – 1.50 crore |
| Nathan Ellis | Retained | – 2 crore |
| Khaleel Ahmed | Retained | – 4.80 crore |
| Noor Ahmad | Retained | – 10 crore |
| Shivam Dube | Retained | – 12 crore |
| Ramakrishna Ghosh | Retained | – 30 Lakh |
| Gurjapneet Singh | Retained | – 2.20 crore |
| Shreyas Gopal | Retained | – 30 Lakh |
| Mukesh Choudhary | Retained | – 30 Lakh |
| Anshul Kamboj | Retained | – 3.40 crore |
| Devon Conway | Released | + 6.25 crore |
| Rahul Tripathi | Released | + 3.40 crore |
| Vansh Bedi | Released | + 55 lakh |
| Andre Siddharth | Released | + 30 lakh |
| Rachin Ravindra | Released | + 4 crore |
| Vijay Shankar | Released | + 1.2 crore |
| Kamlesh Nagarkoti | Released | + 30 lakh |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Released | + 13 crore |
| Ramakrishna Ghosh | Released | + 30 lakh |
With a few surprise calls, such as releasing Matheesha Pathirana and Devon Conway, CSK have entered the IPL 2026 auction with a remaining purse of ₹43.30 crores — the second-highest among all teams.
The CSK remaining purse for the IPL 2026 auction is easily higher than most other teams, including the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS), which suggests they will be equally aggressive in the auction as they were while finalising the CSK retention list 2026.
| Team | Remaining Purse (crore) |
|---|---|
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 64.3 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 43.4 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 25.5 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 22.95 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 21.8 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 16.4 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 16.05 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 12.9 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 11.5 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 2.75 |
The CSK released players 2026 list suggests they need a lower-order batter who can finish the innings and a spinner who can contribute with the bat. The CSK remaining purse allows them to target all those big names in the auction. There’s a reason why they have left out those overseas players from their squad.
The IPL 2026 auction is set for December 16 in Abu Dhabi. CSK are expected to target players like Cameron Green and build a strong squad for IPL 2026.
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