IPL 2026 Retention: Date, Time And List Of High Profile Players Likely To Be Left Out By Franchises

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi next month. Ahead of the auction, the IPL franchises have until Nov. 15 to finalise their player retention. Before the deadline, all ten teams are required to confirm and publish the names of players they plan to keep or release.

The auction is likely to be held between Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, according to a PTI report. This year, teams have no restriction on how many players they can retain, a change from past mega auctions. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will head into the IPL 2026 season as defending champions, having finally lifted the trophy in 2025. Given their recent success, the team is expected to retain most of its core squad for the upcoming mini-auction. 

However, a few big-name signings who underperformed last season might be released before the Nov. 15 deadline, allowing the Rajat Patidar-led side more financial flexibility during the auction.

One of the most scrutinised players ahead of the new season is England’s all-rounder Liam Livingstone. The hard-hitting batter, acquired for Rs 8.75 crore, endured a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign, scoring only 112 runs at an average of 16.

Given RCB’s strong middle-order depth featuring the in-form Australian Tim David, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, the explosive Romario Shepherd, promising youngster Jacob Bethell, and the dependable Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone’s high price tag might see him released ahead of the new season.

RCB’s pace attack may see changes, but veterans Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are expected to remain key figures in the squad. With a combined tally of 39 wickets during the 2025 season and their vast experience, both bowlers are likely to be retained for the upcoming campaign, as their skill set and leadership have been vital for the team’s success.

If RCB decide to part ways with Livingstone, Dayal, and Rasikh, they would unlock a total budget of Rs 19.75 crore to use in the upcoming mini-auction.

Multiple reports indicate that the Chennai Super Kings are expected to release veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the auction. Discussions are reportedly underway between CSK and Rajasthan Royals regarding a potential swap deal, with Jadeja moving to Rajasthan in exchange for their captain and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

Reports suggest that the Rajasthan Royals have insisted on receiving Ravindra Jadeja plus another player in return for Sanju Samson. Initially, RR sought both Jadeja and young batter Dewald Brevis, but CSK rejected this, offering all-rounder Sam Curran as an alternative. More recently, it has been reported that RR are aiming to acquire Jadeja along with pacer Matheesha Pathirana in exchange for their captain, Samson.

Mumbai Indians are expected to maintain their core group of Indian players, including pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, alongside star batsmen Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. Overseas contributions from Trent Boult and Will Jacks, who were key performers in IPL 2025, also make them strong candidates for retention. This stability in both their Indian and foreign line-ups points towards minimal changes for the upcoming season.

According to a Cricbuzz report, cricketers like T Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav, and David Miller could be searching for new teams, although nothing has been confirmed yet. This situation is similar to that of Venkatesh Iyer, who was the third costliest player in the previous auction, snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 23.75 crore.

The deadline for retention of players in Tata IPL 2026 is Nov. 15. An analysis of the retentions and releases will be done on the Star Sports Network and JioHotstar on Nov. 15 from 5 p.m.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Probable Retained Players: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma, Swastik Chikara, Swapnil Singh, Manoj Bhandage.

RCB's Probable Released Players: Liam Livingstone, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

Chennai Super Kings Probable Retained Players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Rachin Ravindra, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nathan Ellis, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Shreyas Gopal, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel

CSK's Probable Released Players: Rahul Tripathi, Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapaneet Singh

Mumbai Indians' Probable Retained Players: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Arjun Tendulkar, Will Jacks, Robin Minz, Naman Dhir, AM Ghazanfar, Ryan Rickelton, Ashwani Kumar

MI's Probable Released Players: Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Lizaad Williams, Raj Bawa