The IPL 2026 Mega Auction is set to reshape the future of all ten franchises as teams finalize their retained players, released stars, and key trade moves. Retentions play a crucial role in defining team strategies, salary caps, and leadership continuity. In this detailed guide, we bring you a team-wise breakdown of IPL 2026 retentions, including player price, role category, and highlighted captains, along with squad strategy insights.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – Stability, Leadership & All-Round Strength
Chennai Super Kings continue to prioritize leadership stability, all-round depth, and experienced match-winners. Their core strategy revolves around retaining proven performers and grooming young Indian talent.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Released Player List:IPL 2026: CSK Retained and Released Player List
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Retained Players List:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Sanju Samson (Trade in), Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary
Ravindra Jadeja (Trade out), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sam Curran (Trade out), Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Andre Siddarth, Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi
Mumbai Indians (MI) – Power, Youth & Match-Winners
Mumbai Indians are known for building championship-winning cores supported by emerging youngsters and elite overseas stars.
IPL 2026: MI Retained and Released Player List
Mumbai Indians (MI) Retained Players List:
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, AM Ghazanfar, Shardul Thakur (Trade in), Sherfane Rutherford (Trade in), Mayank Markande (Trade in)
Mumbai Indians (MI) Released Player List:
Sathyanarayana Raju, Reece Topley, KL Shrijith, Karn Sharma, Bevon Jacobs, Mustafizur Rahman, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur, Arjun Tendulkar (Trade out)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Batting Firepower First
RCB continues to build around elite batters and attacking bowling options to finally chase their first IPL title.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Retained Players List:
Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Released Player List:
Liam Livingstone, Swastik Chikara, Mayank Agarwal, Tim Seifert, Manoj Bhandage, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathee
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Aggressive Core, Bold Trades
KKR emphasizes explosive batters, mystery spinners, and aggressive leadership.
IPL 2026: KKR Retained and Released Player List
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Retained Players List:
Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Released Player List:
Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Luvnith Sisodia, Chetan Sakariya, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande (Trade out)
Delhi Capitals (DC) – Rebuilding with Youth & Pace
Delhi Capitals focus on young Indian batters and high-pace bowlers.
IPL 2026: DC Retained and Released Player List
Delhi Capitals (DC) Retained Players List
Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana (Trade in)
Delhi Capitals (DC) Released Player List:
Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mohit Sharma, Donovan Ferreira, Sediqullah Atal, Manvath Kumar, Darshan Nalkande
Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Youth, Consistency & Smart Investments
RR continues to prioritize Indian core performers supported by overseas stars.
IPL 2026: RR Retained and Released Player List
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Retained Players List:
Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Released Player List:
Sanju Samson (Trade out), Nitish Rana (Trade out), Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashok Sharma, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – Pace, Power & Foreign Firepower
SRH builds around dominant fast bowlers and destructive overseas batters.
IPL 2026: SRH Retained and Released Player List
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Retained Players List:
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Pat Cummins (C), Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Released Player List:
Mohammed Shami (Trade out), Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa
Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Fresh Core, Heavy Auction Spenders
Punjab Kings traditionally release heavily and rebuild at auctions with aggressive bidding.
IPL 2026: PBKS Retained and Released Player List
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Retained Players List:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Released Player List:
Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey
Gujarat Titans (GT) – Balanced Squad, Elite Indian Core
GT focuses on consistent Indian performers with overseas finishers.
IPL 2026: GT Retained and Released Player List
Gujarat Titans (GT) Retained Players List:
Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Glenn Philips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav
Gujarat Titans (GT) Released Player List:
Dasun Shanaka, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya, Sherfane Rutherford (Trade out)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – Star Power & Tactical Leadership
LSG continues to rely on calculated auction strategy and experienced internationals.
IPL 2026: LSG Retained and Released Player List
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Retained Players List:
Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mohsin Khan, M Siddharth, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Released Player List:
Shardul Thakur, David Miller, Aryan Juyal, Yuvraj Choudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shamar Joseph, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi
Disclaimer: This article is based on historical IPL auction patterns, expert analysis, and performance-based predictions. Official PBKS 2026 retention, release, and trade lists will be confirmed only after BCCI’s official announcement.
