The IPL 2026 mini-auction is coming soon! All 10 teams have announced which players they are keeping and which players they are releasing. The auction will happen on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Many big cricket stars like Glenn Maxwell, Faf Du Plessis, Andre Russell, David Miller, and Ravi Bishnoi will be available for other teams to buy.
Let’s look at each team’s squad, the players they released, and how much money they have left to spend in the auction.
1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) | Batsman |
| M.S. Dhoni | Wicketkeeper |
| Ayush Mhatre | Batsman |
| Dewald Brevis | Batsman |
| Urvil Patel | Wicketkeeper |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Jamie Overton | All-rounder |
| Ramakrishna Ghosh | Batsman |
| Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| Khaleel Ahmed | Bowler |
| Anshul Kamboj | Bowler |
| Gurjapneet Singh | Bowler |
| Shreyas Gopal | All-rounder |
| Mukesh Choudhary | Bowler |
| Nathan Ellis | Bowler |
| Sanju Samson (traded from RR) | Batsman/Wicketkeeper |
Released Players: Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, C Andre Siddarth, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Sam Curran (traded to RR), Ravindra Jadeja (traded to RR), Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shaik Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Matheesha Pathirana
Money Left: Rs 43.40 crore
Chennai Super Kings made big changes this year. They brought in Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals through a trade. Samson is a great batsman and wicketkeeper who can help CSK win matches. CSK finished last in IPL 2025, so they want to build a stronger team now. They kept their captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad and the legendary MS Dhoni.
CSK released important players like Devon Conway, Sam Curran, and Ravindra Jadeja. Sam Curran and Jadeja were traded to the Rajasthan Royals. CSK also let go of Matheesha Pathirana, the young fast bowler from Sri Lanka. With Rs 43.40 crore left in their purse, CSK has good money to buy new players in the auction. They will try to get players who can make their team stronger for IPL 2026.
2. Mumbai Indians (MI)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | All-rounder |
| Rohit Sharma | Batsman |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batsman |
| Tilak Varma | Batsman |
| Ryan Rickleton | Batsman |
| Robin Minz | Wicketkeeper |
| Mitchell Santner | All-rounder |
| Corbin Bosch | All-rounder |
| Naman Dhir | All-rounder |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Trent Boult | Bowler |
| Allah Ghafanzar | Bowler |
| Ashwani Kumar | Bowler |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler |
| Will Jacks | All-rounder |
| Raghu Sharma | Wicketkeeper |
| Raj Angad Bawa | All-rounder |
| Sherfane Rutherford (traded from GT) | All-rounder |
| Mayank Markande (traded from KKR) | Bowler |
| Shardul Thakur (traded from LSG) | All-rounder |
Released Players: Satyanarayana Raju, Reece Topley, KL Shrijith, Karn Sharma, Arjun Tendulkar (traded to LSG), Bevon Jacobs, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Lizaad Williams, Vipraj Puthur
Money Left: Rs 2.75 crore
The Mumbai Indians kept most of their main players. They have Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah in their team. These are some of the best Indian cricket players right now. MI also brought in three new players through trades. They got Sherfane Rutherford from the Gujarat Titans, Mayank Markande from the Kolkata Knight Riders, and Shardul Thakur from the Lucknow Super Giants.
Mumbai Indians only have Rs 2.75 crore left to spend. This is very little money compared to other teams. MI released some players like Arjun Tendulkar (son of Sachin Tendulkar), who was traded to LSG. They also let go of Reece Topley and Mujeeb ur Rahman. With such little money, MI cannot buy expensive players in the auction. They will have to look for young and cheap players who can help the team.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ajinkya Rahane | Batsman |
| Sunil Narine | All-rounder |
| Rinku Singh | Batsman |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batsman |
| Manish Pandey | Batsman |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler |
| Ramandeep Singh | All-rounder |
| Ankul Roy | All-rounder |
| Rovman Powell | All-rounder |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler |
| Vaibhav Arora | Bowler |
| Umran Malik | Bowler |
Released Players: Andre Russell, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Luvnith Sisodia, Chetan Sakariya, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande (traded to MI)
Money Left: Rs 64.30 crore
Kolkata Knight Riders made very big changes this year. They released Andre Russell, who played for KKR for more than 10 years. Russell is a powerful hitter and was very important for KKR. They also let go of Venkatesh Iyer, who cost them Rs 23.75 crore in 2025 but did not play well. Other big names like Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were also released.
KKR retained their key players, including Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy. These players can win matches with their batting and bowling. With Rs 64.30 crore in their purse, KKR has the most money among all teams. They can buy many expensive players in the auction. KKR will try to build a completely new and strong team for IPL 2026.
4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Rajat Patidar (c) | Batsman |
| Virat Kohli | Batsman |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batsman |
| Phil Salt | Wicketkeeper |
| Jitesh Sharma | Wicketkeeper |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder |
| Swapnil Singh | All-rounder |
| Tim David | Batsman |
| Romario Shepherd | All-rounder |
| Jacob Bethell | All-rounder |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler |
| Yash Dayal | Bowler |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| Nuwan Thushara | Bowler |
| Rasikh Salam | Bowler |
| Abhinandan Singh | All-rounder |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler |
Released Players: Swastik Chikara, Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhandage, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee
Money Left: Rs 16.40 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru kept their star player, Virat Kohli. Rajat Patidar is now the captain of RCB. They also have good players like Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, and Josh Hazlewood. RCB released Liam Livingstone, who did not perform well in IPL 2025. They also let go of Mayank Agarwal and Lungi Ngidi.
RCB has Rs 16.40 crore left to spend in the auction. This is a decent amount of money. They will look for players who can strengthen their middle-order batting and bowling. RCB has never won the IPL trophy, so they want to build a team that can finally win the championship in 2026.
5. Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Prabhsimran Singh | Wicketkeeper |
| Priyansh Arya | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | Batsman |
| Shashank Singh | All-rounder |
| Nehal Wadhera | Batsman |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | All-rounder |
| Marco Jansen | All-rounder |
| Harpreet Brar | All-rounder |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| Musheer Khan | Batsman |
| Pyala Avinash | Wicketkeeper |
| Harnoor Pannu | Batsman |
| Suryansh Shedge | All-rounder |
| Mitchell Owen | Batsman |
| Xavier Bartlett | Bowler |
| Lockie Ferguson | Bowler |
| Vyshak Vijaykumar | Bowler |
| Yash Thakur | Bowler |
| Vishnu Vinod | Wicketkeeper |
Released Players: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Pravin Dubey
Money Left: Rs 11.50 crore
Punjab Kings released their big player, Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell had a very poor season in IPL 2025, so PBKS decided to let him go. They kept Shreyas Iyer and have good players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, and Marcus Stoinis. PBKS also has young Indian talent like Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh who can play well.
PBKS has INR 11.50 crore left in their purse. This is not a lot of money, so they cannot buy too many expensive players. They will look for affordable players who can fit well in their team. Punjab Kings have never won the IPL, and they hope the new players in the auction will help them perform better in IPL 2026.
6. Gujarat Titans (GT)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Shubman Gill (c) | Batsman |
| Sai Sudharsan | Batsman |
| Kumar Kushagra | Wicketkeeper |
| Anuj Rawat | Wicketkeeper |
| Jos Buttler | Batsman/Wicketkeeper |
| Nishant Sindhu | All-rounder |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Arshad Khan | All-rounder |
| Shahrukh Khan | Batsman |
| Rahul Tewatia | All-rounder |
| Kagiso Rabada | Bowler |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bowler |
| Prasidh Krishna | Bowler |
| Ishant Sharma | Bowler |
| Gurnoor Singh Brar | Bowler |
| Rashid Khan | Bowler |
| Manav Suthar | Bowler |
| Sai Kishore | Bowler |
| Jayant Yadav | All-rounder |
| Glenn Phillips | All-rounder |
Released Players: Sherfane Rutherford (traded to MI), Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya
Money Left: Rs 12.90 crore
Gujarat Titans kept their captain, Shubman Gill and star player Rashid Khan. They have a strong bowling attack with Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna. GT also has good all-rounders like Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia. They traded Sherfane Rutherford to the Mumbai Indians and released some other players.
GT has Rs 12.90 crore left to spend in the auction. This is an okay amount of money. Gujarat Titans won the IPL in 2022, so they know how to build a winning team. They will look for players who can add more power to their batting and strengthen their team for IPL 2026.
7. Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Shubham Dubey | Batsman |
| Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Batsman |
| Lhuan-Dre Pretorius | All-rounder |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batsman |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsman |
| Dhruv Jurel | Wicketkeeper |
| Riyan Parag | All-rounder |
| Yudhvir Singh Charak | Bowler |
| Jofra Archer | Bowler |
| Tushar Deshpande | Bowler |
| Kwena Maphaka | Bowler |
| Nandre Burger | Bowler |
| Ravindra Jadeja (traded from CSK) | All-rounder |
| Sam Curran (traded from CSK) | All-rounder |
Released Players: Sanju Samson (traded to CSK), Nitish Rana (traded to DC), Wanindu Hasaranga, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Rathore
Money Left: Rs 16.05 crore
Rajasthan Royals made a shocking decision by trading their captain, Sanju Samson, to the Chennai Super Kings. Samson was RR’s best player and leader. In return, RR got two excellent all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran from CSK. Both these players can bat and bowl very well. RR also kept young stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.
RR has Rs 16.05 crore left in their purse. They released Nitish Rana, who was traded to the Delhi Capitals. With Jadeja and Curran in the team, RR has strong all-rounders now. They will need to find a new captain and some good batsmen in the auction. RR won the first-ever IPL in 2008 and will try to build a team that can win again.
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Pat Cummins (c) | Bowler |
| Travis Head | Batsman |
| Abhishek Sharma | Batsman |
| Aniket Verma | Batsman |
| R. Smaran | Batsman |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Wicketkeeper |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| Harsh Dubey | Bowler |
| Kamindu Mendis | All-rounder |
| Harshal Patel | Bowler |
| Brydon Carse | Bowler |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Bowler |
| Eshan Malinga | Bowler |
| Zeeshan Ansari | All-rounder |
Released Players: Mohammed Shami (traded to LSG), Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan Mulder, Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Simarjeet Singh, Sachin Baby
Money Left: Rs 25.50 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad kept their captain Pat Cummins and star players Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. They also have Abhishek Sharma, who can hit big sixes. SRH traded Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants. Shami is one of India’s best fast bowlers, so this was a big loss for SRH. They also released Adam Zampa, the Australian leg spinner.
SRH has Rs 25.50 crore left to spend. This is good money to buy new players. They kept Ishan Kishan, who joined them recently and scored his first IPL century last season. With Pat Cummins, Brydon Carse, and Harshal Patel, SRH still has a good bowling attack. They will look to add more bowlers and middle-order batsmen at the auction.
9. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant (c) | Wicketkeeper |
| Abdul Samad | Batsman |
| Ayush Badoni | All-rounder |
| Aiden Markram | Batsman |
| Matthew Breetzke | Batsman |
| Himmat Singh | All-rounder |
| Nicholas Pooran | Wicketkeeper |
| Mitchell Marsh | All-rounder |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | All-rounder |
| Arshin Kulkarni | Batsman |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler |
| Avesh Khan | Bowler |
| Mohsin Khan | Bowler |
| Manimaran Siddharth | Bowler |
| Digvesh Rathi | All-rounder |
| Prince Yadav | Bowler |
| Akash Singh | Bowler |
| Mohammed Shami (traded from SRH) | Bowler |
| Arjun Tendulkar (traded from MI) | All-rounder |
Released Players: Aryan Juyal, David Miller, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shardul Thakur (traded to MI), Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph
Money Left: Rs 22.95 crore
Lucknow Super Giants have Rishabh Pant as their captain. LSG bought Pant for Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025, the highest price ever paid for a player. They also have Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, and Aiden Markram, who are all strong batsmen. LSG brought in Mohammed Shami from Sunrisers Hyderabad through a trade. Shami is an experienced Indian fast bowler who can take important wickets.
LSG released David Miller, who was a powerful finisher for them. They also let go of Ravi Bishnoi, a young Indian leg spinner. LSG has Rs 22.95 crore left in their purse. They traded Shardul Thakur to the Mumbai Indians and got Arjun Tendulkar from the MI. With this money, LSG will look to add more Indian players and bowlers at the auction to make their team more balanced.
10. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Retained Players:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Axar Patel (c) | All-rounder |
| KL Rahul | Batsman |
| Abishek Porel | Wicketkeeper |
| Tristan Stubbs | Batsman |
| Karun Nair | Batsman |
| Sameer Rizvi | All-rounder |
| Ashutosh Sharma | Batsman |
| Vipraj Nigam | All-rounder |
| Madhav Tiwari | Batsman |
| Tripurana Vijay | All-rounder |
| Ajay Mandal | All-rounder |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| Mitchell Starc | Bowler |
| T. Natarajan | Bowler |
| Mukesh Kumar | Bowler |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Bowler |
| Nitish Rana (traded from RR) | Batsman |
Released Players: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donovan Ferreira (traded to RR), Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande
Money Left: Rs 21.80 crore
Delhi Capitals kept KL Rahul and made Axar Patel their new captain. They have Mitchell Starc, one of the most expensive players in IPL history. DC also has Kuldeep Yadav, who is a very good spinner. They brought in Nitish Rana from the Rajasthan Royals through a trade. DC released their former captain, Faf du Plessis and the young Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk.
DC has INR 21.80 crore left to spend in the auction. This is decent money to buy some good players. Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL trophy. They reached the finals once but lost. DC will try to find players who can help them win their first championship in IPL 2026.
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Conclusion: IPL 2026 Auction is Happening on 16 December
The IPL 2026 mini-auction will be very exciting. Many big players like Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, and Ravi Bishnoi will be available. Teams have different amounts of money left. Kolkata Knight Riders has the most money (Rs 64.30 crore) while Mumbai Indians has the least (Rs 2.75 crore).
All teams are trying to build strong squads. Some teams, like CSK and RR, made big trades. Other teams, like KKR, released many players to start fresh. The auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi will decide which teams can buy the best players.
After the auction, we will know which teams have the strongest squads for IPL 2026!
FAQs
The IPL 2026 mini-auction will take place on December 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi. All 10 IPL teams will participate in this auction to buy new players. Big names like Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, and Ravi Bishnoi will be available for teams to bid on.
Kolkata Knight Riders have the highest purse remaining with Rs 64.30 crore for the IPL 2026 auction. KKR released many big players, including Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. With this much money, KKR can buy many expensive players and build a completely new team.
Rajasthan Royals traded their captain, Sanju Samson, to Chennai Super Kings in exchange for two top all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. RR wanted to strengthen their all-rounder department. Both Jadeja and Curran can bat and bowl, which gives RR more balance in their playing eleven for IPL 2026.
Many big players were released for the IPL 2026 auction. Andre Russell (KKR), Glenn Maxwell (Punjab Kings), Faf du Plessis (Delhi Capitals), David Miller (LSG), Ravi Bishnoi (LSG), Venkatesh Iyer (KKR), and Liam Livingstone (RCB) are some of the major names. These players will be available for all teams to buy in the December auction.
The Mumbai Indians have only Rs 2.75 crore left in their purse for the IPL 2026 auction. This is the lowest amount among all 10 IPL teams. MI kept most of their main players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav. With such little money, MI will need to find cheap and young players in the auction.
