IPL 2026 Auction & Retention: Full Team-Wise List, Trades, Released Players and Complete Squad Breakdown

The countdown to the IPL 2026 Auction & Retention has officially begun and if you’re a cricket lover like me, you already know this year feels different. Bigger trades, bolder releases, massive purse swings and some truly unexpected decisions from franchises have turned this into one of the most dramatic retention windows in IPL history.

What started as a routine retention day quickly turned into a blockbuster story — Sanju Samson moving to CSK, Ravindra Jadeja heading to Rajasthan Royals, Mohammed Shami joining LSG and some of the league’s biggest stars being released without hesitation. It felt less like a retention list and more like a full-blown reshuffling of the IPL universe.

Every team seems to be rewriting its identity.
Some have doubled down on homegrown talent, others have cleared the decks for fresh faces and a few have quietly built the most balanced cores we’ve seen in years.

But the real thrill?
The auction ahead — where these decisions will shape every bidding war, strategy shift and surprise pick.

In this detailed team-wise breakdown, we’ll explore:

which players each team retained,
who got released or traded out,
why certain decisions shocked fans,
the purse each franchise has left and
what their auction game plan might look like in 2026

If you love IPL strategy, behind-the-scenes thinking and deep cricket analysis, this blog will feel like your front-row seat to the biggest cricketing shakeup of the year.

Let’s dive in — team by team — into the most exciting pre-auction story the IPL has delivered in years.

IPL 2026 Auction & Retention : Team-by-Team Analysis

Here’s how each franchise is shaping up for 2026, based on their retention, release and trade decisions.

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Retained Players:

MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Nathan Ellis, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Noor Ahmed, Shreyas Gopal.
Plus, the colossal incoming trade: Sanju Samson (from RR) was acquired for ₹18 Cr.

Released Players / Traded Out:

Ravindra Jadeja (to RR) at ₹14 Cr after a pay cut.
Sam Curran (to RR), Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddharth and Kamlesh Nagarkoti also let go.

Remaining Auction Purse:

₹ 43.4 crore.
This gives CSK flexibility — especially after securing Samson. They could target big Indian batters or a death-over bowler in the auction.

Strategic Take:
CSK clearly aimed to refresh their core, bringing in Samson fixes a long-term gap at the top order and shedding veteran all-rounders like Jadeja (though emotionally tough) signals a shift. With a strong remaining purse, they’re in a very good spot to build a balanced team.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Retained Players:

Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Released Players:

Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje were all let go.

Purse Remaining:

₹ 64.3 crore — the largest among all franchises.

Strategic Take:
KKR’s retention is all about core stability + firepower. They kept their match-winners (Rinku, Narine) and young talent, but by releasing big names like Russell and de Kock, they’ve freed up a huge budget. This suggests they’re planning a significant rebuild or top-up in the auction rather than just a maintenance job.

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Retained Players:

Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma.

Released Players:

Liam Livingstone, Mayank Agarwal, Tim Seifert, Swastik Chikara, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathee, Manoj Bhandage were dropped.

Purse Remaining:

₹ 16.4 crore .

Strategic Take:
RCB has kept a fairly stable but expensive core — Kohli, Patidar, Salt. Their retained list leans heavily on experience and overseas talent. With a moderate purse left, they’ll likely be selective at the auction, focusing on high-impact players rather than volume signing.

4. Mumbai Indians (MI)

Retained & Released Overview:

Reports suggest MI retained 20 players and released 9, leaving them with just ₹ 2.75 crore in purse remaining.
Notably, Mayank Markande was traded back to MI from KKR.

Strategic Take:
With such a tight purse left, MI’s options are limited. They might have to rely on emerging domestic players or take calculated risks in lesser-contested slots. Their retention strategy seems to prioritize continuity, but the small budget could constrain big moves.

5. Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Retained / Acquired:

Big trade: Sanju Samson → CSK, Ravindra Jadeja → RR, Sam Curran → RR.
They’ve retained other core names (though full list beyond trade is less publicly detailed).

Released Players:

RR released eight players
Specific names include Nitish Rana (traded), but more detailed lists are scattered across sources

Purse Remaining:

~₹ 16.05 crore.

Strategic Take:
RR’s trade is huge. Getting Jadeja and Curran gives them experience, balance, and all-round strength. Their moderate purse suggests they’ll mix stability with some smart opportunistic buys at the auction.

6. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Major Moves:

Mohammed Shami traded from Sunrisers Hyderabad → LSG for ₹ 10 Cr.
Arjun Tendulkar also joins LSG from MI at his existing fee of ₹ 30 lakh.

Retention / Release:

According to CricTracker, LSG retained 19 players and released 8.
Purse left: ₹ 22.95 crore.

Strategic Take:
LSG’s aggressive trade strategy shows they are going all-in on building a potent bowling attack (with Shami) and youthful depth (Tendulkar). The remaining purse is decent — enough to pick up targeted pieces, especially in the domestic pool.

7. Delhi Capitals (DC)

Retained Players:

Axar Patel (captain), KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera.
Nitish Rana was also brought in via trade from RR (for Donovan Ferreira).

Released Players:

Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donovan Ferreira, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande.

Purse Remaining:

₹ 21.8 crore for the auction.

Strategic Take:
DC has balanced its retained core smartly — experienced foreign players + young Indian talent. With Nitish Rana coming in and a decent purse, they look ready to target both stable middle-order batters and some bowling reinforcements.

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Retained Players:

Key names retained include Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Ishan Kishan, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Travis Head, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder.

Released Players:

Mohammad Shami (traded to LSG), Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Smaran Ravichandran, Jaydev Unadkat.

Purse Remaining:

₹ 25.5 crore.

Strategic Take:
SRH’s approach seems cautious but thoughtful: they’ve let go of some high-cost players and retained a mix of experience and youth. With a quarter of their purse still free, they can make clever auction plays — perhaps focusing on all-rounders or death-over specialists.

9. Gujarat Titans (GT)

Retention Snapshot:

According to CricTracker, GT retained 20 players ahead of the auction.
Purse remaining: ₹ 12.9 crore.

Strategic Take:
GT seems to be leaning heavily on continuity. Their relatively low purse suggests they may not be major players in bidding wars, but could target undervalued domestic talent or overlooked overseas players.

10. Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Retained Players:

PBKS kept a strong base: Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, plus keeper options Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod.
Their bowling group retained leg and pace options like Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Kyle Jamieson, Obed McCoy, Kuldeep Sen.

Purse Remaining:

₹ 11.5 crore.

Strategic Take:
PBKS opted for stability over reinvention. Retaining a large group gives them continuity, though their modest purse means they’ll need to be precise with auction buys — likely focusing on role players or high-upside domestic talent.

IPL 2026 Auction & Retention : My Verdict & Auction Strategy Predictions

Most Aggressive Buyer: KKR. With the largest purse, they can swing for the fences. Expect them to go after big-name all-rounders or finishing batters.
Smart Rebuilders: CSK and RR. Both played the trade game well — CSK grabbed Samson, RR got Jadeja and Curran — and still saved enough for the auction.
Value Hunters: DC and LSG. Their decent remaining purses combined with tactical trades suggest they’ll go for value domestic players and specialist picks.
Low-Risk, Stable Teams: PBKS and GT. They’re banking on the core rather than big splashes.

Why This IPL 2026 Auction & Retention Could Be One of the Most Interesting

Deep Purses + Bold Trades: Not every team is cash-strapped. With big budgets like KKR and CSK in play, the auction could turn into a war of ambitions.
Youth + Experience Mix: We’re seeing youth being retained (like Rinku, Raghuvanshi, etc.), but teams are still holding onto game-changers (Starc, Narine, etc.).
All-Rounder Value: Given the strategy shifts, all-rounders like Jadeja, Curran or even domestic ones will be hot property.
Auction Strategy Diversity: Some teams will go big, others will pick smart and a few will try to gamble. That variety is what makes IPL auctions fun and unpredictable.

IPL 2026 Auction & Retention : Final Thoughts

As a die-hard cricket fan, this retention window feels like a turning point. The IPL 2026 mini-auction is shaping up to be less about filling gaps and more about defining team identity. Whether franchises emerge as buyers, builders, or bargain-hunters, how they use their remaining purse will matter big time.

If I were placing bets:

KKR will drop a few mega bids.
CSK might look for one or two finishing batters + a quality Indian bowler.
DC will go for stability + utility players.
LSG could target pace depth and a power-hitter.

So, what do you think? Which team’s strategy excites you the most? And who’s your bet to be the most surprising pick at the IPL 2026 auction? Let me know — would love to geek out over this with you!

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Prashant

Hi, I’m Prashant Jain — a curious soul, storyteller, and content creator at heart.I’ve always been drawn to the world of entertainment, travel, sports, health & lifestyle — not just as a writer, but as someone who genuinely lives these experiences. Whether I’m binge-watching the latest OTT series, exploring offbeat spiritual destinations in India, or diving deep into wellness routines and cricket match insights, I love sharing what I discover with like-minded readers.
PopNewsBlend is my way of blending personal journeys with meaningful stories — ones that inform, inspire, and keep you ahead of the curve. Everything I write comes from real observations, hands-on experiences, and a deep passion for understanding the world around us.