The wait for the IPL 2026 retention list is finally over, with all ten franchises announcing the players they have decided to retain and release ahead of the upcoming mini auction. The auction is scheduled to take place on December 15 in Abu Dhabi, and several unexpected decisions have already set the stage for a dramatic season.
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Players Released by Each Franchise
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Matisha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddharth, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shaikh Rashid, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
Mumbai Indians: Satyanarayana Raju, Reece Topley, KL Shirjit, Karn Sharma, Arjun Tendulkar, Bevan Jacobs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lizad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.
Punjab Kings: Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardy, Kuldeep Sen, Glenn Maxwell, Pravin Dube.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Swastik Cheekara, Mayank Agarwal, Tim Seifert, Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhadge, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathi.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjit Singh, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa.
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser, Sediqullah Atal, Manwant Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Mohit Sharma.
Gujarat Titans: Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya.
Lucknow Super Giants: Aryan Juyal, David Miller, Yuvraj Choudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Akashdeep, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Johnson, Chetan Sakariya, Anrich Nortje.
Major Trades Ahead of IPL 2026
The pre-auction window saw several high-profile trades:
- Ravindra Jadeja moved from CSK to Rajasthan Royals, valued at ₹14 crore.
- Sam Curran, at ₹2.40 crore, also shifted in a CSK–RR trade.
- Mohammed Shami was traded from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants for ₹10 crore.
- Sherfane Rutherford joined Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans for ₹2.6 crore.
- Nitish Rana moved to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals for ₹4.2 crore.
- Shardul Thakur transferred from Lucknow to Mumbai Indians at ₹2 crore.
- Donovan Ferreira moved from Delhi Capitals to Rajasthan Royals for ₹1 crore.
- Mayank Markande returned to Mumbai Indians from KKR for ₹30 lakh.
- Arjun Tendulkar, priced at ₹30 lakh, shifted from Mumbai Indians to Lucknow Super Giants.
With these releases and trades, franchises are preparing aggressively for the auction, which promises high bidding wars and fresh team combinations. IPL fans can expect more twists as the countdown to the Abu Dhabi mini auction begins.