As teams gear up for the IPL 2026 mini-auction, retention becomes crucial. Franchises aim to strike a balance—holding onto their core performers while freeing up slots for emerging talent.
While some players have been released, franchises have locked in their core by retaining key performers who will form the backbone of their squads. Here’s a complete team-wise guide of retained players, along with the latest view on squads, trade buzz, and strategic direction across all 10 IPL teams for the upcoming season.
IPL 2026 Retained Players List (Core Players):
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Core Retentions: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Swastik Chikara, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mayank Agarwal.
- Strategy: A blend of star power (Kohli, Salt), reliable pace (Hazlewood, Yash Dayal), and young prospects (Chikara, Bethell) ensures both experience and bench strength.
Like to know? Highest Wicket-Takers for RCB in IPL History
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
- Notable Retentions: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Rachin Ravindra, Noor Ahmad, Shaik Rasheed, Andre Siddharth.
- Focus: Veteran leadership coupled with emerging talent to reinvigorate their middle order and spinner options.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
- Key Retentions: Faf du Plessis, Axar Patel, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Mitchell Starc, KL Rahul, Donovan Ferreira, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Madhav Tiwari.
- Balance: A mix of batting solidity, death-overs weapons, and promising uncapped talent like Porel and Tiwari.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
- Retained Stars: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Ryan Rickelton, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Allah Ghazanfar.
- Core Strength: Anchored by leadership and depth, with emphasis on Indian emerging talent.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
- Retained Danish: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Ramandeep Singh, Chetan Sakariya, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Harshit Rana.
- Essence: A tactical mix of experience and firepower, reinforcing both batting and death‑over pace.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
- Retained Core: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Prince Yadav.
- Approach: Versatile batting choices and reliable spin to anchor the middle order.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
- Retained Players: Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
- Strategy: Solid top order, spin backbone, and death over expertise with Rashid, Buttler, Rabada leading the pack.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Key Retentions: Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Suryansh Shedge, Pyla Avinash.
- Direction: Uncapped and emerging Indian talent retained alongside experienced overseas options for a balanced unit.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
- Retained Core: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya.
- Vision: Youth-led batting complemented by impactful international finishes and spin depth.
Read more: – CSK Rejects RR’s Trade Offer for Sanju Samson Ahead of IPL 2026
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
- Retained Players: Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Kamindu Mendis.
- Theme: A solid overseas core anchored by experienced spin and power-hitting.
Read more: – Most Successful IPL Captains
IPL 2026 Retained Players List all Team: Summary Table
| Team | Retained Players | Focus Area & Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| RCB | Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Phil Salt, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mayank Agarwal, Swastik Chikara, Jacob Bethell, Manoj Bhandage, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee | Defending champions focusing on continuity and bench depth while freeing budget for a marquee overseas all-rounder and death-over bowler. |
| CSK | MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shreyas Gopal, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth | Blending experience with youth to rebuild batting and spin options while preparing a smooth leadership transition. |
| DC | KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Faf du Plessis, Mitchell Starc, Tristan Stubbs, Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Darshan Nalkande, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Madhav Tiwari, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay | Revamping their top order and adding bowling firepower to support Starc and Nortje, focusing on playoff qualification push. |
| MI | Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Ryan Rickelton, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Allah Ghazanfar, Satyanarayana Raju, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur, Krishnan Shrijith | Building on a solid Indian core with strong overseas pacers and spinners; aiming for another title run. |
| KKR | Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Anukul Roy, Chetan Sakariya | Retaining their power-hitting and spin core while preparing to strengthen their pace attack with new signings. |
| GT | Shubman Gill(c), Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Kulwant Khejroliya | Maintaining a world-class top order and pace duo while adding middle-order finishers and spinners. |
| PBKS | Shreyas Iyer (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Inglis, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Pyla Avinash | Retaining a spin-heavy setup and talented Indian batting lineup, looking to add a big overseas finisher. |
| RR | Sanju samson(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Kunal Rathore, | Betting on young Indian batting stars while retaining overseas bowling match-winners like Archer. |
| SRH | Pat Cummins(c), Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Rahul Chahar, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga | Keeping a strong overseas trio and spin-bowling core while looking to add reliable Indian finishers. |
| LSG | Rishabh Pant(c), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, Aryan Juyal, Akash Deep, Himmat Singh, M. Siddharth, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Arshin Kulkarni | Continuing with a batting-heavy approach while seeking death-over specialists and leadership stability. |
What’s the Latest?
- Trade Window Opens: Teams are discussing trades. RCB is eyeing flexibility with interest in Venkatesh Iyer.
- Retention Vs Auction: Mini-auction pressures teams to retain a tight core and clinch smart replacements.
- Uncapped Talent Edge: Franchises are leaning into budgets by retaining younger players with upside.
- Overseas Slots: Retaining 4–6 overseas players remains key—teams are prioritizing impact performers in limited slots.
Why It Matters
- Squad Continuity: Retained players form the backbone for team identity and strategy.
- Budget Management: Retaining wisely can free purse for tactical buys.
- Talent Pipeline: Balancing veterans with emerging players ensures long-term reliance and growth.
Read more: – IPL 2026 Released Players List
The IPL 2026 Retained Players List highlights how franchises are playing it smart. It’s a strategic mesh—holding onto match-winners, grooming young talent, and balancing global stars. Whether it’s RCB’s core blend, MI’s depth or CSK’s youth infusion, the foundations are set for an exhilarating mini-auction.
Disclaimer: These retained players lists are compiled from latest team updates and expert reports. Official confirmation will be shared by BCCI and franchises closer to the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
