The IPL 2026 mini-auction is now set after all ten teams submitted their retention lists on November 15, 2025. This year, teams had no cap on the number of players they could keep. The only limits were the ₹120 crore purse and a 25-player squad. Several big trades and many surprise releases have changed the shape of the league.
Below is a clear team-by-team look at who stayed, who moved, and who was let go.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK shook things up by trading out Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Sanju Samson arrived in a rare big swap. The team kept Ruturaj Gaikwad, M. S. Dhoni and Shivam Dube. Matheesha Pathirana and Devon Conway were confirmed releases while reports suggest Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar and Jamie Overton may also exit.
CSK Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | Sanju Samson |
| Trade Out | Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran |
| Retained | Ruturaj Gaikwad, M.S. Dhoni, Shivam Dube |
| Released (Confirmed) | Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway |
| Released (Reported) | Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton |
Mumbai Indians
MI were active again. They signed Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande. Arjun Tendulkar was traded out. They held on to Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma. Reported exits include Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma, Robin Minz and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
MI Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande |
| Trade Out | Arjun Tendulkar |
| Retained | Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma |
| Released (Reported) | Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma, Robin Minz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman |
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR had a quiet window and let go of Mayank Markande in a trade. Ajinkya Rahane is expected to stay. There are no confirmed releases, but Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje may be among the reported exits.
KKR Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | None |
| Trade Out | Mayank Markande |
| Retained | Ajinkya Rahane (reported) |
| Released (Confirmed) | None |
| Released (Reported) | Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB kept Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal. Liam Livingstone and Rasikh Salam Dar were released. Mayank Agarwal and Blessing Muzarabani are likely exits.
RCB Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | None |
| Trade Out | None |
| Retained | Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal |
| Released (Confirmed) | Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam Dar |
| Released (Reported) | Mayank Agarwal, Blessing Muzarabani |
Gujarat Titans
GT did not make any signings but traded Sherfane Rutherford to Mumbai. They retained Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada. Gerald Coetzee and Karim Janat were released. Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Manav Suthar and Kulwant Khejroliya are likely to leave too.
GT Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | None |
| Trade Out | Sherfane Rutherford |
| Retained | Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada |
| Released (Confirmed) | Gerald Coetzee, Karim Janat |
| Released (Reported) | Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Manav Suthar, Kulwant Khejroliya |
Delhi Capitals
DC added Nitish Rana and moved out Donovan Ferreira. They kept Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel and T. Natarajan. No confirmed exits yet. Expected releases include Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mohit Sharma and Dushmantha Chameera.
DC Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | Nitish Rana |
| Trade Out | Donovan Ferreira |
| Retained | Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel, T. Natarajan |
| Released (Confirmed) | None |
| Released (Reported) | Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera |
Lucknow Super Giants
LSG completed the most dramatic trade of the window by bringing in Mohammed Shami and Arjun Tendulkar, after sending out Shardul Thakur and later Arjun. They kept Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni and Rishabh Pant. Reports suggest David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep and Shamar Joseph could be released.
LSG Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar |
| Trade Out | Shardul Thakur, Arjun Tendulkar (initially traded to LSG) |
| Retained | Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant |
| Released (Reported) | David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Shamar Joseph |
Punjab Kings
PBKS stayed steady. They kept Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Lockie Ferguson. Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen and Vishnu Vinod were released.
PBKS Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | None |
| Trade Out | None |
| Retained | Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Lockie Ferguson |
| Released (Confirmed) | Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Vishnu Vinod |
Rajasthan Royals
RR made big moves by bringing in Jadeja, Curran and Ferreira while sending off Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma were retained. Likely releases include Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka.
RR Retained & Released Players List ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira |
| Trade Out | Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana |
| Retained | Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma |
| Released (Reported) | Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka |
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH traded out Shami but held on to Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and Travis Head. Expected releases include Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar.
| Section | Players |
|---|---|
| Trade In | None |
| Trade Out | Mohammed Shami |
| Retained | Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head |
| Released (Reported) | Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar |
