IPL 2026 Retention
The IPL 2026 Retention Media Advisory confirmed that the player retention window closed on 15 November 2025. All 10 franchises announced retained and released players ahead of the December auction. IPL T20
Key headlines (what shocked fans on 15 Nov 2025)
- Huge trades and surprising releases — several big names were released and will be available in the December auction (for example: Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell among notable names reported released). NDTV Sports+1
- Mohammad Shami moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) — Shami’s base changed and his signing was confirmed as part of the retention/trade window. The Times of India
- Ravindra Jadeja movement / Sanju Samson trade activity — major player movement and trades were reported involving Jadeja, Sanju Samson and others (see team notes below). The Indian Express+1
- Gujarat Titans announced large retained core (Nov 15 press) — GT published a big retained list including Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler and Mohammed Siraj. The Economic Times
(These headlines are assembled from official IPL notice and major outlets’ retention coverage.) IPL T20+1
What retention day means for the auction
- Teams either retain players (keeping their contracts) or release them to the auction pool — released stars create big bidding interest.
- The mini-auction (Dec 16, 2025 — widely reported date) will be hotter because many experienced T20 stars are now available. Hindustan Times+1
Team-by-team: major retained players, big releases & notable trades (summary)
Note: Below I list the most important retained players, standout releases and trades reported by major outlets. For full squads and every single retained/released name you can link to the official IPL page or the detailed news pages I cite. IPL T20+1
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Big retained names / arrivals: Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube and several domestic pieces — CSK retained a mixture of experience and young talent.
Big news: CSK released Matheesha Pathirana (reported), which surprised many fans given his rapid rise. The Times of India+1
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Big retained names: core domestic and overseas players that KKR wanted to keep for balance.
Big releases: Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer were reported released by KKR — a major shock and will create big auction interest. NDTV Sports+1
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Retained core: MI kept its core players and made conservative changes — focusing on retaining experienced match-winners and youngsters they believe in. (See NDTV / Sports pages for the squad breakdown.) NDTV Sports
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Retained core: RR kept a strong Indian core (Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel etc.) and also made trade moves to bring in big names (reports say RR strengthened via trades such as Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran arrivals). RR retained multiple youngsters and some overseas finishers. myKhel+1
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) IPL 2026 Retention
Shakeup: SRH made significant changes — releasing and reshaping their squad (several experienced names and certain overseas options released as part of a rebuild). Reports noted multiple releases from SRH on retention day. mint
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL 2026 Retention
Big news: RCB parted with certain senior overseas players; RCB’s retention choices leave some big names available in the auction (detailed lists published by NDTV/Sports). NDTV Sports
Delhi Capitals (DC) IPL 2026 Retention
Activity: Delhi added and retained key Indian players and used the window to adjust their spin/bowling stock (news flagged signings like Nitish Rana and other roster shuffles). The Times of India+1
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) IPL 2026 Retention
Notable addition: Mohammad Shami moving to LSG was confirmed as part of retention/trade activity — a clear power move for LSG’s bowling attack. Arjun Tendulkar was also reported to change teams. The Times of India+1
Gujarat Titans (GT) IPL 2026 Retention
Big retained core: GT publicly announced on Nov 15 that they retained a large group including Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Mohammed Siraj and others — building a very strong, deep core for the upcoming cycle. The Economic Times
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Releases noted: PBKS released or let go of some senior overseas names (for example, reports show Glenn Maxwell among the notable players available after retention day), which opens the door to aggressive re-buys at auction. NDTV Sports
Biggest names now available in the auction (examples reported)
- Andre Russell — released by KKR. NDTV Sports
- Glenn Maxwell — reported released (available in auction). NDTV Sports
- Faf du Plessis / David Miller / Ravi Bishnoi — some big names were listed as released/available by outlets — check full lists for confirmation. NDTV Sports
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
- 16 Players retained including MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (T), Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Urvil Patel, Shreyas Gopal, Ayush Mhatre, Gurjapneet Singh.
- Cap spent: ₹81.60 crore, Cap remaining: ₹43.40 crore
- Released players include Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi among others.
- Delhi Capitals (DC):
- 17 Players retained including KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Tristan Stubbs, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and others.
- Cap spent: ₹103.20 crore, Cap remaining: ₹21.80 crore
- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
- 12 Players retained including Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Varun Chakravarthy, Umran Malik, Rinku Singh.
- Cap spent: ₹60.70 crore, Cap remaining: ₹64.30 crore
- Released high profile players Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- 17 Players retained including Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood.
- Cap spent: ₹108.60 crore, Cap remaining: ₹16.40 crore
- Released players include Swastik Chikara, Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone.
- Punjab Kings (PBKS):
- Highest retention count with 21 players including Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera.
- Released players include Glenn Maxwell and others.
- Mumbai Indians (MI):
- Retained players include Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Markande, Mitchell Santner among others.
- Released and traded players list also announced.
- Gujarat Titans (GT):
- Have retained 20 players.
- Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):
- Retained 19 players including Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke.
- (Source: )
- Rajasthan Royals (RR):
- Retained 13 players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jofra Archer, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh.
- Released some players like Kunal Singh Rathore, Wanindu Hasaranga.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH):
- 15 players retained, including Pat Cummins (c), Ishan Kishan, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Smaran Ravichandaran among others.
Additional Information:
- A total of 173 players have been retained, including 49 overseas players across all teams.
- The combined purse left for the auction is ₹237.55 crore, with 77 slots remaining to be filled.
- The IPL 2026 mini-auction is scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
- Some big-name players released or traded include Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, Matheesha Pathirana, and others which indicate strategic shake-ups among franchises.
- Each team strategy varies with a mix of keeping core players and refreshing the squad with auction picks.
Sources & where to read the full retained/released lists
- Official IPL announcement (TATA IPL): TATA IPL 2026 Retention Player Retentions Announced — 15 Nov 2025. IPL T20
- Sports coverage / full lists & running updates: NDTV Sports, Indian Express, LiveMint, Times of India, Business Standard and Sports NDTV — these outlets carried live updates and complete team lists on Nov 15. NDTV Sports+5NDTV Sports+5The Indian Express+5
