Patiala, 20 November (Shahi)
Ahead of the IPL 2026 mega auction, all 10 franchises have submitted their final retention lists, leading to several high-profile releases that have sent shockwaves across the cricketing world. The biggest surprise comes from Kolkata Knight Riders, who have parted ways with long-time powerhouse Andre Russell after 12 years and also released star Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer (worth ₹23.75 crore in the previous cycle).
Chennai Super Kings made the tough call to release injury-prone Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana despite heavy past investment, while several other big names hit the auction pool.
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Released Players List by Team
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Vansh Bedi, CA Siddharth, Sheikh Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Mayank Agarwal, Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathee, Tim Seifert
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey
Delhi Capitals (DC) Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donovan Ferreira, Siddhikulla Atal, Manavanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) David Miller, Aryan Juyal, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar (incomplete in original)
Gujarat Titans (GT) Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjeet Singh
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana
Mumbai Indians (MI) Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karn Sharma, Lizad Williams, Satyanarayan Raju, KL Srijith, Bevon Jacobs, Vignesh Puthur
Key Pre-Auction Trades (2025–26 Window)
- Sanju Samson → Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals – ₹18 crore
- Ravindra Jadeja → Rajasthan Royals from Chennai Super Kings – ₹14 crore
- Sam Curran → Rajasthan Royals from Chennai Super Kings – ₹2.4 crore
- Mohammed Shami → Lucknow Super Giants from Sunrisers Hyderabad – ₹10 crore
- Mayank Markande → Mumbai Indians from Kolkata Knight Riders – ₹30 lakh
- Arjun Tendulkar → Lucknow Super Giants from Mumbai Indians – ₹30 lakh
- Nitish Rana → Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals – ₹4.2 crore
- Donovan Ferreira → Rajasthan Royals from Delhi Capitals – ₹1 crore
- Sherfane Rutherford → Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans – ₹2.6 crore
- Shardul Thakur → Mumbai Indians from Lucknow Super Giants – ₹2 crore
With several marquee names now available in the mega auction pool, IPL 2026 promises to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable auctions in league history!
