IPL 2026 Released Players List: Full Round‑up by Team Ahead of Mini Auction

As the countdown to IPL 2026 heats up, all 10 franchises have now finalised their retained and released players lists ahead of the mini-auction (primary window December 16, 2025) in Abu Dhabi. With the BCCI confirming November 15 as the official retention deadline, teams have reshuffled their squads, making tough calls on underperformers and high-priced signings to balance their purse and rebuild combinations.

The IPL 2026 Retention event went LIVE on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 5 PM (IST) across Star Sports Network & JioCinema, where franchises officially announced their retentions, confirmed trades and surprise releases in front of fans.

Across the 10 franchises, a total of 173 players (including 49 overseas) have been retained for IPL 2026. That leaves 77 vacant slots to be filled at the mini-auction, with teams collectively carrying a remaining purse of ₹237.55 crore.

The biggest trade in IPL history — the Sanju Samson ↔ Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran three-way move — is now officially confirmed, completely reshaping CSK and RR’s squads. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have executed two smart bargain deals, acquiring Shardul Thakur (₹2 Cr) and Sherfane Rutherford (₹2.6 Cr), with Arjun Tendulkar moving to LSG as the corresponding roster adjustment. Mohammed Shami has been officially traded from SRH to Lucknow Super Giants in an all-cash deal worth ₹10 Cr and Nitish Rana from RR Officially Traded to Delhi Capitals (₹4.2 Cr)

Here’s the complete breakdown of released players, surprise exits, and early rebuilding strategies across all 10 IPL teams for 2026.

IPL 2026 Released Players – Team-by-Team Breakdown (Official Confirmed)

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

• Major Outgoing Players (Released / Traded): Ravindra Jadeja (traded to RR), *Devon Conway, *Matheesha Pathirana, *Rachin Ravindra, *Sam Curran (part of mega swap to RR), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Vijay Shankar, Andre Siddarth.
• Not Released (Incoming Trade): Sanju Samson ← CSK (via confirmed mega trade)
• Insight: With the confirmed arrival of Sanju Samson and the departures of Jadeja & Curran, CSK are clearly shifting towards a younger, batting-heavy core under Ruturaj Gaikwad. They are expected to target an overseas power-hitter and a strike pacer at the mini-auction. Official purse remaining: ₹43.40 Cr (9 slots, 4 overseas).

2. Delhi Capitals (DC)

• Released Players (Official): *Faf du Plessis, *Jake Fraser-McGurk, Darshan Nalkande, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, *Sediqullah Atal.
• Incoming (Confirmed): Nitish Rana from RR officially traded to Delhi Capitals (₹4.2 Cr).
• Outgoing (Confirmed Trade): Donovan Ferreira officially traded from DC to Rajasthan Royals for ₹1 crore.
• Insight: DC aim to rebuild their top order around Axar Patel’s leadership and a strong Indian core, with a clear focus on experienced batters and death-overs pacers. Official purse remaining: ₹21.80 Cr (8 slots, 5 overseas).

Read more – Delhi Capitals Likely to Get a New Captain for IPL 2026

3. Gujarat Titans (GT)

• Released Players (Official): *Dasun Shanaka, *Gerald Coetzee, *Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mahipal Lomror.
• Insight: GT will continue with the Shubman Gill–Rashid Khan leadership core. With multiple all-rounders released, they now have flexibility to chase a specialist overseas finisher and Indian middle-order stability. Official purse remaining: ₹12.90 Cr (5 slots, 4 overseas).

4. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

• Released Players (Official): *Andre Russell, *Anrich Nortje, *Quinton de Kock, *Moeen Ali, *Rahmanullah Gurbaz, *Spencer Johnson, Venkatesh Iyer, Luvnith Sisodia, Chetan Sarkariya.
• Retained Captain: Ajinkya Rahane (captaincy role expected).
• Insight: After finishing 8th in IPL 2025, KKR have pressed reset with some of the boldest releases of the season. Letting go of Russell and Venkatesh Iyer frees a huge chunk of their purse, allowing a full rebuild around Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh. Official purse remaining: ₹64.30 Cr (13 slots, 6 overseas) — the biggest purse heading into the mini-auction.

5. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

• Released Players (Official): Akash Deep, Aryan Juyal, *David Miller, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravi Bishnoi, *Shamar Joseph, Yuvraj Chaudhary.
• Incoming (Major Confirmed): Mohammed Shami → LSG (₹10 Cr mega trade).
• Incoming (Confirmed): Arjun Tendulkar → LSG (as part of MI–LSG trade adjustment).
• Insight: LSG have refreshed their bowling core in a big way. With Shami joining a young crop of Indian quicks and several high-value releases, they can now plug gaps in the middle order and finishing department. Official purse remaining: ₹22.95 Cr (6 slots, 4 overseas).

6. Mumbai Indians (MI)

• Released Players (Official): *Bevan John Jacobs, Karn Sharma, Shrijith Krishnan, *Lizaad Williams, *Mujeeb Ur Rahman, *Reece Topley, V. Satyanarayana Penmetsa, Vignesh Puthur.
• Incoming (Confirmed): Shardul Thakur (₹2 Cr), Sherfane Rutherford (₹2.6 Cr) and Mayank Markande traded to MI from KKR.
• Insight: MI continue to trust their core around Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. With Shardul and Rutherford, they have added depth in Indian pace and lower-middle order hitting, but go into the auction with a relatively tight budget. Official purse remaining: ₹2.75 Cr (5 slots, 1 overseas).

7. Punjab Kings (PBKS)

• Released Players (Official): *Glenn Maxwell, *Josh Inglis, *Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Pravin Dubey.
• Insight: PBKS are set for another foreign overhaul, with Glenn Maxwell’s release the headline move. They are expected to rebuild around a strong Indian batting group and a fresh overseas all-rounder–leg-spinner combination. Official purse remaining: ₹11.50 Cr (4 slots, 2 overseas).

8. Rajasthan Royals (RR)

• Released Players (Official): Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, *Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Kunal Rathore, *Maheesh Theekshana, *Wanindu Hasaranga.
• Trade Note (Confirmed): Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran → RR; Sanju Samson → CSK.
• Trade (Incoming): Donovan Ferreira from DC officially joins Rajasthan Royals (₹1 Crore).
• Insight: With Kumar Sangakkara overseeing a massive structural shift and the arrivals of Jadeja, Curran and Donovan Ferreira, RR are clearly in “win-now” mode. Having released multiple overseas spinners, they will look for Indian pacers and flexible finishers. Official purse remaining: ₹16.05 Cr (9 slots, 1 overseas).

9. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

• Released Players (Official): Swastik Chhikara, Mayank Agarwal, *Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhandage, *Lungisani Ngidi, Mohit Rathee.
• Insight: As defending champions, RCB have focused on freeing overseas slots and salary space for new all-rounders and specialist quicks. The release of Livingstone adds a big name to the auction pool. Official purse remaining: ₹16.40 Cr (8 slots, 2 overseas).

10. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

• Released Players (Official): *Adam Zampa, *Wiaan Mulder, *Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Rahul Chahar, Sachin Baby, Simarjeet Singh.
• Outgoing (Confirmed Trade): Mohammed Shami → LSG (₹10 Cr).
• Insight: SRH are reworking their middle order and spin department; Abhishek Sharma is likely to continue as opener alongside Travis Head, with Pat Cummins and Heinrich Klaasen retained as core leaders. Strengthening Indian bowling depth remains a priority. Official purse remaining: ₹25.50 Cr (10 slots, 2 overseas).

IPL 2026 Released Players list all Team: Summary Table

What’s New: Latest Updates & Trade Watch

• The IPL 2026 trading window is at its peak, with multiple confirmed trades and several high-profile discussions completed ahead of the November 15 retention deadline.
• Blockbuster CONFIRMED: Sanju Samson → CSK | Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran → RR.
  This is officially the biggest three-player swap in IPL history.
• MI’s Steal Deals: Mumbai Indians have signed
  Shardul Thakur (₹2 Cr) and Sherfane Rutherford (₹2.6 Cr), with Arjun Tendulkar → LSG processed as part of the roster adjustment.
• Major Confirmed: Mohammed Shami → LSG (₹10 Cr).
• Nitish Rana Trade: Nitish Rana → Delhi Capitals (₹4.2 Cr) from Rajasthan Royals to strengthen DC’s middle order.
• Venkatesh Iyer Update: Initial trade buzz around Iyer has now ended, with KKR choosing to officially release him into the auction pool, freeing up a massive portion of their purse.
• Glenn Maxwell Release: PBKS have released Maxwell and could still attempt to re-sign him at a different price if he re-enters the auction pool.
• Overseas Core Stability: While many big overseas names have been released, franchises still retain marquee stars like Rashid Khan, Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen as cornerstones of their squads.
• Big Finishers in the Auction: Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone, David Miller headline the list of explosive finishers available at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Like to know? Top 10 Best All-Rounders in IPL History

Why This Important

• The mini-auction promotes targeted squad upgrades rather than complete overhauls seen in mega auctions.
• Franchises are balancing experienced cores with youth rebuilding and tighter budget planning.
• Released players — especially foreign all-rounders and Indian pacers — will become high-value auction targets for strategic roles.

Read more: – IPL 2026 Auction Players List

With most squads announcing their released lists and the trade window buzzing with confirmed deals and new discussions, the IPL 2026 mini-auction is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and strategy-driven events in recent years.

With confirmed trades like Shami to LSG, multiple foreign releases, and the biggest swap in IPL history, the IPL 2026 mini-auction is shaping up to be one of the most strategic editions ever.

Disclaimer: The IPL 2026 released players and trade updates mentioned above reflect the latest confirmed announcements and active negotiations. Final lists officially confirmed by BCCI on November 15.