The IPL 2026 Retained Players List and Released Players 2026 announcements are just around the corner, with all ten franchises set to finalize their IPL 2026 Retention List by November 15, ahead of the December 16 mini-auction.
🚨 Full official list to be updated after announcement on November 15, 5PM IST 🚨
The IPL 2026 Retention and Auction Tracker is the one-stop destination for everything related to Retained Players 2026, Released Players 2026, and franchise purse status.
Here, you’ll find every team’s IPL 2026 Retention List, the expected released players from each franchise, and confirmed purse figures once officially announced by the BCCI.
From the retention deadline to auction rules and trade updates, this guide provides a full breakdown of how teams are preparing for the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
Below is a summary of all 10 IPL teams, with links to each team’s detailed retention tracker. You can check every franchise’s retained players 2026, released players 2026, and remaining purse as of the latest updates.
CSK Retained Players 2026: MS Dhoni (if he continues), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana headline the CSK IPL 2026 Retention List.
CSK Released Players 2026: Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja (trade), Sam Curran (trade), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, and Vijay Shankar are likely to be released. R. Ashwin’s retirement frees ₹9.75 Cr in the CSK Remaining Purse for the auction.
DC Retained Players 2026: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prithvi Shaw form the domestic core of the DC IPL 2026 Retention List.
DC Released Players 2026: Mitchell Starc, Faf du Plessis, and T. Natarajan may be released as DC look to revamp their overseas group.
GT Retained Players 2026: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, and Sai Sudharsan headline the GT IPL 2026 Retention List.
GT Released Players 2026: Minimal changes are expected, with a few fringe names likely to be released to balance the GT Remaining Purse.
KKR Retained Players 2026: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi lead the KKR IPL 2026 Retention List.
KKR Released Players 2026: Venkatesh Iyer (price tag), Quinton de Kock, and Moeen Ali could be released to free up funds in the KKR Remaining Purse.
LSG Retained Players 2026: KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis feature prominently in the LSG IPL 2026 Retention List.
LSG Released Players 2026: Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, and select overseas bowlers might be let go, increasing the LSG Remaining Purse.
MI Retained Players 2026: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma headline the MI IPL 2026 Retention List.
MI Released Players 2026: A few underperforming overseas players could be released; MI’s remaining purse will stay healthy for targeted buys.
PBKS Retained Players 2026: Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and rising domestic talents remain on the PBKS IPL 2026 Retention List.
PBKS Released Players 2026: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Jamieson may headline exits as PBKS seek better squad balance.
RR Retained Players 2026: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Jofra Archer are certain names in the RR IPL 2026 Retention List.
RR Released Players 2026: Sanju Samson’s future is elsewhere; Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana are also likely releases.
RCB Retained Players 2026: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Josh Hazlewood, and Jitesh Sharma lead the RCB IPL 2026 Retention List.
RCB Released Players 2026: Liam Livingstone, Mayank Agarwal, and Lungi Ngidi are likely exits, giving RCB more flexibility with their remaining purse.
SRH Retained Players 2026: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Pat Cummins headline the SRH IPL 2026 Retention List.
SRH Released Players 2026: Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel could depart, making SRH one of the richest teams in terms of remaining purse.
The official IPL 2026 Retention Deadline is November 15, 2025. On that day, each franchise will confirm its Retained Players 2026 and Released Players 2026 lists, shaping the final IPL 2026 Retention List submitted to the BCCI.
In the IPL 2026 mini-auction scenario, there is no fixed limit on how many players each team can retain. Unlike a mega-auction (such as before IPL 2025) where franchises were restricted to retaining a certain number of players and had to release the rest, the 2026 season will be a standard mini-auction year. This means teams are free to retain as many players as they wish from their current squad – theoretically even the entire squad – and only release those players they choose to let go, based on performance or strategy. A team could retain 20+ players if they wanted, provided they stay within the overall squad size limit (usually 25 players) and salary cap.
It’s worth noting that any player not retained by Nov 15 will enter the auction pool (assuming they register for the auction). Also, because this is a mini-auction, the Right-to-Match (RTM) card is not available to franchises – teams had that option in the last mega-auction (IPL 2025) to match bids on one of their released players, but in 2026 no RTM can be used. In short, teams have full flexibility on retention count this year: they will retain all the players they value and release only the ones they don’t, without a numerical retention limit imposed.
The IPL 2026 auction date is expected to be ion 16 December 2025. According to reports, the auction will be held in Abu Dhabi.
In terms of schedule, here’s the timeline: by November 15 the retention lists are locked in, and immediately after that, the player registration for the auction will close.
For IPL 2026, we can expect the registration to close in late November 2025, after which the BCCI will circulate the list of registered players to franchises and prune it into a final auction player pool (often a shortlist of players that teams are interested in).
Auction Date: It will be a one-day mini-auction (as opposed to the two-day mega auctions) on December 16.
The IPL 2026 pre-season featured an active trade window, with teams exploring several transfer possibilities. By rule, the trade window remains open until shortly before the auction, often closing a day or two before the retention deadline. Any player under contract can be traded to another franchise if all three parties — both teams and the player — agree. This flexibility allows franchises to rebalance their squads strategically before the auction.
There have already been reports of potential trades, such as discussions around Rajasthan Royals possibly trading captain Sanju Samson, and speculation involving KL Rahul and Washington Sundar. However, as of now, no major or confirmed blockbuster trade has taken place.
The 2026 season may also include a mid-season trade or loan window, similar to recent editions, where unused or unsold players can be temporarily loaned to other teams during the tournament. These evolving transfer mechanisms show how the IPL continues to refine its player movement system, and 2026 could mark the first season where mid-season transfers are formally integrated into the rulebook.
Once all teams have submitted their IPL 2026 Retention List — meaning we officially know which Retained Players 2026 and Released Players 2026 each franchise has chosen — the IPL off-season transitions into the mini-auction preparation phase. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what follows after retention day.
Shortly after the retention deadline, the IPL releases an official media statement or update featuring the IPL 2026 Retained Players List and the IPL 2026 Released Players List for every team.
Fans quickly learn about the biggest releases — the headline names who often dominate social media. For example, last season’s retention announcement saw stars like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer released into the auction pool.
Franchises will also post graphics and videos on their official handles highlighting who’s staying and who’s leaving. This page will update the “IPL 2026 Released Players List” section below with all confirmed names once the official data is made public.
Following the finalization of the IPL 2026 Retention List, every franchise’s remaining purse is recalculated. Each released player frees up his previous contract value, directly adding back to the team’s purse for the IPL 2026 Mini Auction.
For instance, if a team retained players worth ₹80 crore from a total salary cap of ₹151 crore, their remaining purse initially stands at ₹71 crore. Releasing a ₹10 crore player would raise that to ₹81 crore.
The BCCI typically circulates an official update with all ten teams’ purse amounts soon after retentions.
These purse figures are critical — they reveal which teams have the most financial flexibility going into the IPL 2026 Auction.
Teams like CSK and RR, expected to release several high-value players, could enter the auction with significantly larger purses compared to franchises that retained most of their squads.
After teams confirm their Retained Players 2026, the collective list of Released Players 2026 becomes one half of the IPL 2026 Auction Player Pool. The other half is made up of new player registrations — domestic talents who were not part of IPL 2025, and overseas cricketers seeking contracts for the upcoming season.
The BCCI compiles this data into a master list of 700–800 players, which is later pruned into a final auction shortlist. Each franchise is typically asked to nominate around 40–50 players they’re interested in, and only those with at least one nomination make the final pool.
By early December 2025, we can expect to see the official IPL 2026 Auction Player List released — complete with base prices and notable overseas sign-ups. This will include all the big names from the IPL 2026 Released Players List and several surprise new entrants.
The IPL 2026 Mini Auction — expected in mid-December — marks the next major step after the IPL 2026 Retention List release. On auction day, teams bid on available players to complete their squads based on their remaining purse and positional needs.
After the auction concludes, a brief post-auction trade window usually reopens for a few days.
This allows franchises to exchange recently purchased players or adjust roster balance. However, major post-auction trades are rare, especially after a mini-auction.
For unsold players — including those from the Released Players 2026 list — there remains a possibility of being picked up later as injury replacements during the tournament.
The IPL 2026 Retained Players List will be officially announced on November 15, 2025, at 5 PM IST. All ten franchises will confirm which players they are keeping and which will be released into the auction pool.
The IPL 2026 Released Players List will feature all cricketers who have been let go by their franchises before the mini-auction. It will be published right after the retention deadline on November 15.
In the IPL 2026 mini-auction, there is no limit on how many players teams can retain. Each franchise can keep as many players as they wish within the 25-player squad limit and the ₹151 crore salary cap.
The IPL 2026 Auction will be held on December 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi. It will be a one-day mini-auction where franchises fill remaining slots after finalizing their retained and released players.
Teams that released several high-value players — such as CSK and RR — are expected to have the largest remaining purses going into the IPL 2026 Auction. The BCCI will confirm exact purse figures post-retention.
Players not included in the IPL 2026 Retained Players List automatically enter the IPL 2026 Auction Pool (if they register). They can be bought by any team during the mini-auction.
No. RTM cards will not be available in the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. All released players 2026 must go through open bidding; teams cannot match bids for previously released cricketers.
The IPL 2026 salary cap has increased to ₹151 crore per team. Each team’s remaining purse after retentions will determine how much they can spend at the auction.
You can check this hub for the full team-wise IPL 2026 Retained Players List, Released Players List 2026, and Remaining Purse details for all ten franchises — including CSK, MI, RCB, GT, KKR, RR, PBKS, LSG, SRH, and DC.
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