The IPL 2026 retention deadline is on November 15.
As the IPL 2026 retention deadline approaches, teams will be looking to finalise their squads ahead of the mini auction. Who makes it into the CSK retention list 2026, KKR retained players 2026, Rajasthan Royals retained players 2026, AND LSG retained players 2026 could be interesting to see.
These are the franchises that are likely to make plenty of changes to their existing squads, while others, not so much. Here, we take a look at why these franchises are indeed better off releasing their stars before the IPL 2026 auction.
Chennai Super Kings are closing in on the Sanju Samson trade, one of the biggest in the history of the league. They have to part ways with their veteran all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to facilitate the trade. They had a disastrous season last year, and that should have an impact on the CSK retained players 2026 list.
The team had several underperformers in the previous season. Devon Conway (INR 6.25 crore), Rachin Ravindra (INR 4 crore), Deepak Hooda (INR 1.70 crore), Rahul Tripathi (INR 3.40 crore), Vijay Shankar (INR 1.20 crore), and Jamie Overton (INR 1.50 crore) were amongst the players who failed to make a mark.
Most of these are either past their best years or haven’t developed. They can free up a decent amount and hence should include these in the CSK released players 2026 list.
Kolkata Knight Riders have bigger problems as they try to rebuild for the future. The KKR released players 2026 list should include big stars. They had a disappointing season earlier this year, failing to click as a unit.
They made their issues worse by buying Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23.75 crore and then not giving him the best chance of succeeding. They would be better off excluding him from the KKR retained players 2026 list and try to reacquire.
Apart from that, they also have Andre Russell, who is getting older, and his form has dropped off in recent years. He is at the end of his career and has had fitness concerns as well.
KKR also had other underperforming stars in Quinton de Kock, Spencer Johnson and Anrich Nortje. By having them in the KKR retention list 2026, they could free up around INR 48 crore.
Rajasthan Royals have made a big call to let go of Samson for the Ravindra Jadeja trade. The Rajasthan Royals retained players 2026 list could be affected by this trade. Mainly, they need to release an overseas star to bring in Sam Curran and complete the trade.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana had below-average campaigns last year and should be among the Rajasthan Royals released players 2026. They should also exclude Shimron Hetmyer from the Rajasthan Royals retention list and look for an alternative in the auction. Releasing Tushar Deshpande (INR 6.50 crore) will also help them free up the budget.
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Lucknow Super Giants had brought in Rishabh Pant in the mega auction for a whopping price of INR 27 crore. While the Indian wicket-taker is pretty safe, the LSG retained players 2026 list should exclude a few big signings.
Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav were retained ahead of the mega auction for INR 11 crore each. Mayank has been dealing with injuries, while Bishnoi has not been potent with the ball. David Miller also failed to deliver after being signed for INR 7.50 crore. It would be better for the franchise if these are among LSG released players 2026.
Akash Deep (INR 8 crore) and Avesh Khan (INR 9.75 crore) do not have a high ceiling and should be omitted from the LSG retention list. The franchise could head into the IPL 2026 auction with a purse of INR 47 crore.
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