IPL Auction 2026: List of released and retained players, remaining budget and more

The IPL Auction 2026 is looking like it’s going to focus less on big names and more on clever strategies. Some teams have huge budgets while others are scraping the bottom of the barrel, so the power dynamics are changing even before the auction starts. From team overhauls to last-minute deals, every offer in Abu Dhabi might just change the game for the upcoming season.

IPL Auction 2026: Auction Overview: Purse, Slots, and Key Stats

As the auction continues, the Kolkata Knight Riders have the biggest budget at Rs 64.30 crore.  It sets them up for a possible team revamp with 13 available spots, six of which can be filled by international players.

On the flip side, the defending champs Mumbai Indians come in with just Rs 2.75 crore and five spots to fill, including one for an overseas player, which means they have to play it safe.

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The overall picture shows some strategic differences: Chennai Super Kings have a hefty Rs 43.40 crore for nine slots (four of which can be overseas), while Sunrisers Hyderabad are working with Rs 25.50 crore for ten slots (with two overseas).

IPL Auction 2026: retained players, releases, budget, and strategy

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

CSK enters with Rs 43.40 crore and nine slots (four overseas), prioritizing reinforcements after releasing Jadeja and Curran. Their retained core includes MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (traded in), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, and Gurjapneet Singh. Key releases: Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Siddharth, Deepak Hooda, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Matheesha Pathirana, Sam Curran, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rahul Tripathi, Shaikh Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Vijay Shankar.

CSK’s strategy was outlined as needing a finisher to complement Dhoni, with their top order now “firepowered” by Samson, Mhatre, and Patel alongside captain Gaikwad.

Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth urged CSK to target New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell at the auction, stating in a December 2025 MSN interview, “CSK told to sign ex-RCB star… everyone is underestimating him,” emphasizing Bracewell’s untapped potential.

Delhi Capitals (DC)

With Rs 21.80 crore and eight slots (five overseas), DC’s retained list features Nitish Rana (traded in), Abhishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, and Mukesh Kumar. Releases include Donovan Ferreira, Darshan Nalkande, Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, and Sediqullah Atal.

Gujarat Titans (GT)

GT holds Rs 12.90 crore for five slots (four overseas), retaining Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Prasidh Krishna, R Sai Kishore, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Shubman Gill, and Washington Sundar. Released: Sherfane Rutherford, Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mahipal Lomror.

After a playoff run in 2025, GT’s continuity focus was praised where captain Shubman Gill’s 650+ runs at a high strike rate were highlighted as the “franchise’s linchpin,” with Rashid Khan anchoring the bowling.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

KKR’s Rs 64.30 crore purse and 13 slots (six overseas) enable a rebuild, with retentions: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy. Releases: Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Spencer Johnson, Venkatesh Iyer.

New head coach Abhishek Nayar, in consultation with Shane Watson and Tim Southee, plans to target all-rounders and wicketkeepers, with Australia’s Cameron Green — confirmed to bowl in IPL 2026 — a prime focus amid a potential price war with CSK.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

LSG has Rs 22.95 crore for six slots (four overseas), retaining Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Akash Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mitchell Marsh, Mohsin Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shahbaz Ahmed. Releases: Aryan Juyal, David Miller, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Ravi Bishnoi, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Shamar Joseph.

Rishabh Pant’s Rs 27 crore signing in the prior auction set a record, positioning LSG strongly despite releases.

Mumbai Indians (MI)

MI’s tight Rs 2.75 crore and five slots (one overseas) limit options, with retentions: Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks. Releases: Arjun Tendulkar, Bevon Jacobs, Karn Sharma, Lizaad Williams, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur.

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

PBKS carries Rs 11.50 crore for four slots (two overseas), retaining Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal. Releases: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey.

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

RR has Rs 16.05 crore for nine slots (one overseas), boosted by trades, retaining Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Singh. Releases: Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

As 2025 champions, RCB has Rs 16.40 crore for eight slots (two overseas), retaining Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh. Releases: Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Bhandage, Swastik Chikara, Mohit Rathee.

Times of India detailed on December 15, 2025, RCB’s batting strengths: Kohli (657 runs) and Salt (403 runs at 175.98 SR) for opens, Padikkal and Patidar in middle, with David, Sharma, and Shepherd providing finishes at SRs of 185.15, 176.35, and 291.67 respectively. MyKhel’s December 16, 2025, live update called RCB “on the move” as defending champs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

SRH’s Rs 25.50 crore for ten slots (two overseas) includes retentions: Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, R Smaran, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari. Releases: Mohammed Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar.

Australia’s assistant coach Daniel Vettori, SRH’s head coach, was present at recent training and will bid in Abu Dhabi.

With bidding underway in Abu Dhabi, the IPL 2026 auction will blend high-stakes drama and calculated risks, as teams like KKR and CSK vie for stars amid limited budgets elsewhere.