Let's look at the five key players whom the franchises would be eager to rope in for the IPL 2026.
The Indian Premier League franchises have released their IPL 2026 retention list. While some have chosen to retain almost their entire squad to carry on the momentum after a successful season, few others have opted for a major overhaul following a disastrous outing in the IPL 2025. However, the IPL 2026 released players list included a few shocking, big names who might create a bidding war among the teams in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.
Let’s look at the five key players whom the franchises would be eager to rope in for the IPL 2026.
The veteran Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder is arguably the most shocking name to feature in the IPL 2026 released players list. Though the veteran Caribbean player’s stats had witnessed a decline in the latest seasons, the KKR fans had expected the management to stick with their veteran finisher.
But surprisingly, the Knights decided to part ways with Andre Russell after a long 12-year stint. However, the franchise might opt to re-include their INR 12 crore recruit at a lesser price in the IPL 2026 auction.
Apart from KKR, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are also expected to bid hard for the Caribbean big-hitter. As these three franchises will head to the IPL 2026 auction with the highest purses, Russell is all set to claim a massive deal for the upcoming season.
The southpaw had witnessed a rapid rise since his smashing debut for KKR in the IPL 2021. Following a forced release ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, the Kolkata management had spent a mammoth INR 23.75 crore to rope him back in the squad.
But the price-tag pressure clearly reflected on Venkatesh Iyer throughout the previous season as he managed only 142 runs in 11 fixtures. But several teams might be interested in including the batter for the IPL 2026. Alongside Russell, the Men in Purple might also want to re-acquire the player at a suitable price.
Moreover, the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had previously shown their interest in roping in the Madhya Pradesh batter. With a purse of INR 16.04 crore and limited slots to fill, they might bid hard for the 30-year-old, especially after releasing Mayank Agarwal.
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After two back-to-back abysmal outings, including leaking runs at an expensive economy of 10.83 in the IPL 2025, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have decided to move on from their star leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Moreover, a fierce debut season of Digvesh Rathi also paved the way for LSG to free up INR 11 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
However, CSK and SRH, who have one of the biggest purses before the mini auction, might look to include the 25-year-old. Notably, Chennai outfits are expected to look for some spinners ahead of the next season of the cash-rich league. While the Orange Army would also want to find replacements after including Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar in the SRH released list 2026.
The English all-rounder had endured an underwhelming season during RCB’s historic victorious run in the IPL 2025. Liam Livingstone managed to contribute only 112 runs and two wickets in his maiden appearance for the Bengaluru outfit.
However, teams like KKR and LSG need an overseas big-hitter after releasing Russell and David Miller, respectively. They might engage in a bidding war over the England player following his decent all-round show in The Hundred 2025.
The Sri Lankan youngster is another surprising addition to the IPL 2026 released players list. After four successful editions, scalping 47 wickets in 32 fixtures at an economical 8.68, CSK have decided to release the pacer ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
The Knights might be eyeing Matheesha Pathirana after including Spencer Johnson and Chetan Sakariya in the KKR released players 2026 list. The IPL 2016 winners, SRH, might also want to include the 22-year-old in their squad after releasing Mohammed Shami and Simarjeet Singh.
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