The IPL 2026 retention and trade window has thrown up a series of bombshells.
Kolkata Knight Riders have released Venkatesh Iyer, the league’s third-costliest player ever, while Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have swapped some of their biggest names — Sanju Samson joins CSK, and Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran head to RR.
The official IPL committee confirmed the full retention, release and trade lists on Saturday, marking one of the most dramatic pre-auction periods in recent memory.
Table of Contents
Venkatesh Iyer’s Exit: A ₹23.75 Crore Gamble Gone Wrong
KKR’s decision to part ways with Venkatesh Iyer has raised eyebrows across the cricketing world.
Bought for ₹23.75 crore in the 2025 mega auction, Iyer never justified his price tag — managing only 142 runs in 11 matches last season with a strike rate of 139.
Once hailed as KKR’s next Andre Russell, Iyer struggled for consistency and space in the playing XI due to the emergence of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s tactical reshuffle.
Franchise insiders suggest KKR will now look to invest their ₹64.3 crore remaining purse in an impact all-rounder like Cameron Green.
Andre Russell Released Too – End of an Era at KKR
In another bold call, KKR also released Andre Russell after 11 seasons.
Once the heartbeat of the franchise, the 37-year-old’s declining form forced management’s hand.
In 2025, he scored only 167 runs and took 8 wickets across 13 matches.
Russell’s trademark power hitting and match-winning spells became rare sightings.
With the team opting for younger all-rounders and rebuilding around new faces, the Caribbean star’s departure signals a generational shift for the two-time champions.
CSK-RR Trade: The Most Talked-About Deal of the Season
If KKR made headlines for their releases, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals dominated the trading table.
In a stunning three-way cash trade:
- CSK traded Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals.
- RR sent captain Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings.
This reshuffle redefines both teams’ balance:
CSK get a proven Indian wicket-keeper-batter and tactical leader in Samson — ideal as a future captain after Dhoni.
RR, meanwhile, secure two world-class all-rounders who can stabilize the middle order and strengthen death-over bowling.
According to franchise sources, all three trades were cash-only deals, each valued between ₹15–18 crore.
Team-Wise Summary: Who Retained, Who Released
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Players retained/traded in: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
- Released: Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Traded Out: Mayank Markande → LSG
- Purse Remaining: ₹64.3 crore
Focus: Aggressive rebuilding; likely to target Cameron Green or Ben Stokes.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Players retained: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (traded in from RR), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
- Released: Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra
- Traded In: Sanju Samson (from RR)
- Purse Remaining: ₹43.4 crore
Focus: Wicket-keeper batter depth, future leadership transition from Dhoni.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Players retained/traded in Shardul Thakur (traded in from LSG), Sherfane Rutherford (traded in from GT), Mayank Markande (traded in from KKR), 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
- Released: 8 players, including a few seniors
- Traded In: Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande
- Traded Out: Arjun Tendulkar → LSG
- Purse Remaining: ₹2.75 crore
Focus: Bowling depth and middle-order stability post-Polly era.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Players retained: 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
Players released: Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Bhandage, Swastik Chikara, Mohit Rathee
- Released: 8 players including backup overseas stars
- Purse Remaining: ₹16.4 crore
Focus: Indian pacers and finisher options; maintaining title-winning balance.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Players retained/traded in: 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
Players released/traded out: Mohammed Shami (traded to LSG), Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar
- Released: 8 players
- Traded Out: Mohammed Shami → LSG
- Purse Remaining: ₹25.5 crore
Focus: Rebuilding pace unit and top-order batting.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Players retained/traded in: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar (traded in from MI), Arshin Kulkarni, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Mohammed Shami (traded in from SRH), Mitchell Marsh, Mohsin Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shahbaz Ahmed
- Released: 6 players
- Traded In: Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar
- Traded Out: Shardul Thakur → MI
Focus: Strengthening powerplay bowling, developing Indian all-rounders.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Players retained/traded in: Donovan Ferreira (traded in from DC), Ravindra Jadeja (traded in from CSK), Sam Curran (traded in from CSK), 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
- Released: 7 players
- Traded In: Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran
- Traded Out: Sanju Samson → CSK
- Purse Remaining: ₹16.05 crore
Focus: Two experienced all-rounders to complement Buttler & Jaiswal; leadership rethink likely.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Players retained/traded in: Nitish Rana (traded in from RR), Abishek 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
- Released: 6 players
- Traded In: Donovan Ferreira (from RR)
- Purse Remaining: ₹21.8 crore
Focus: Bolstering middle order; grooming young Indian core.
Gujarat Titans
Players released/traded out: Sherfane Rutherford (traded to MI), Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mahipal Lomror
Players retained/traded in: 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, Washington Sundar
Purse remaining: INR 12.90 crore
Slots remaining: 5 (4 overseas)
Punjab Kings
Players released/traded out: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey
Players retained/traded in: 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
Purse remaining: INR 11.50 crore
Slots remaining: 4 (2 overseas)
Focus: Given their first XII looks quite settled and they have only 11.5 crore left, expect a quiet auction for them.
Other Notable Names Released
- Glenn Maxwell (PBKS): Failed season – just 48 runs in 7 matches.
- Mohammed Shami (SRH → LSG): Trade to bolster Lucknow’s seam attack.
- Nitish Rana (SRH → DC): New challenge after mixed 2025 form.
IPL 2026 Mini Auction Details
The IPL 2026 Mini Auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
All released players — including Venkatesh Iyer, Russell, Maxwell, and Pathirana — will enter the pool.
Franchises with the largest purses — KKR, CSK, and SRH — are expected to dominate the bidding.
Expert View: What These Moves Mean
Cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle told ET Sports,
“This is the beginning of a generational transition. The franchises are clearly preparing for a younger, data-driven T20 era. Big names are out, but the future core is being built.”
With the average player age dropping below 28 for the first time, IPL 2026 could mark a shift from legacy stars to tactical innovators.
ByNews-View: Unpredictable Season Yet!
IPL 2026’s pre-auction drama reveals one thing: reputations no longer guarantee retention.
From Venkatesh Iyer’s ₹23 crore exit to Jadeja’s emotional departure from CSK, the league is redefining value.
Franchises are moving from sentiment to strategy — and that’s exactly what will make IPL 2026 the most unpredictable season yet.
The Indian Premier League 2026 is also know as (IPL 18, TATA IPL T20 2026) 18th edition will be held from 15 March 2026 – 31 May 2026. IPL 2026 is a Twenty20 cricket league organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Tournament Summary
IPL-2026-Schedule-Fixtures-Match-Time-Table-Venue
| Dates | 15 March 2026 – 31 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Countries | India |
| Administrator | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and playoffs |
| Host(s) | India |
| Participants | 10 |
| Matches | 74 |
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Most valuable player | |
| Most runs | |
| Most wickets | |
| Website | iplt20.com |
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Teams List
- Gujarat Titans
- Chennai Super Kings
- Delhi Capitals
- Kolkata Knight Riders
- Lucknow Super Giants
- Mumbai Indians
- Punjab Kings
- Rajasthan Royals
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Sunrisers Hyderabad
IPL 2026 Venue
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Royal Challengers Bangalore , Bengaluru
- Chennai Super Kings, Chennai
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
- Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad
- Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
- Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium, Mohali
- Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Mullanpur
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vishakhapatnam
Also read:
