NEW DELHI: With all 10 IPL teams finalising their lists of retained and released players, the focus now shifts to the mini-auction scheduled for 16th December at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The biggest talking point from the IPL 2026 retention window was the blockbuster swap between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals involving Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja.
CSK stalwart Jadeja has moved to Rajasthan Royals - but at a significantly reduced price - while Samson, after leading RR for four seasons, will slip into the iconic yellow of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2026.
According to an IPL media advisory, Jadeja's contract value has been revised from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore, whereas Samson will join CSK at his existing fee of Rs 18 crore.
IPL 2026 shake-up! Top 5 names released by franchises ft. Andre Russell
Here's a complete look at what each franchise needs at the auction and which players could be on their radar after the departures during the trading window.
Chennai Super Kings
16 players retained | 4 overseas | Total spent: Rs 81.60 | Cap remaining: Rs 43.40
Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson (T), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel.
After trading out Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Sanju Samson, CSK now need an all-rounder to bolster their squad. With big names like Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, and Liam Livingstone released, CSK's remaining purse of Rs 43.40 crore gives them the flexibility to target these players for the 19th edition of the league.
Delhi Capitals
17 players retained | 3 overseas | Total spent: Rs 103.20 | Cap remaining: Rs 21.80
Abhishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, Nitish Rana (T), Sameer Rizvi, T. Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam.
DC surprised everyone by releasing Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis, leaving their top order looking unsettled at the moment. With only three overseas players - Dushmantha Chameera, Mitchell Starc and Tristan Stubbs - their priority at the auction will be to target quality foreign players.
Gujarat Titans
20 players retained | 4 overseas | Total spent: Rs 112.10 | Cap remaining: Rs 12.90
Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Mohammad Siraj, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Prasidh Krishna, R. Sai Kishore, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar.
With Sherfane Rutherford traded to Mumbai Indians, GT are now in need of a finisher. They may also look to add at least one all-rounder to strengthen their squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders
12 players retained | 2 overseas | Total spent: Rs 60.70 | Cap remaining: Rs 64.30
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
With the highest purse of Rs 64.30 crore, KKR are the team that requires significant overhauling after releasing players like Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer. They are likely to target a wicketkeeper and a quality all-rounder at the auction.
Lucknow Super Giants
19 players retained | 4 overseas | Total spent: Rs 102.05 | Cap remaining: Rs 22.95
Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar (T), ARs hin Kulkarni, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Md Shami (T), Mitchell MaRs h, Mohsin Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shahbaz Ahmed
LSG will be looking for suitable replacements for David Miller and Ravi Bishnoi at the auction. With Shardul Thakur traded to Mumbai Indians, the franchise will also be eager to add a reliable all-rounder to balance their squad.
Mumbai Indians
20 players retained | 7 overseas | Total spent: Rs 122.25 | Cap remaining: Rs 2.75
Allah Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande (T), Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Shardul Thakur (T), Sherfane Rutherford (T), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks
The upcoming auction holds little significance for MI, as they seem to have most bases covered with their current squad. With only Rs 2.75 crore left - the lowest purse among all teams - a major signing appears unlikely.
Punjab Kings
21 players retained | 6 oveRs eas | Total spent: Rs 113.50 | Cap remaining: Rs 11.50
ARs hdeep 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
Punjab may have released big names like Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis, but they won't have much room to tinker with their squad, as they are left with only Rs 11.5 crore in their purse.
Rajasthan Royals
16 players retained | 7 overseas | Total spent: Rs 108.95 | Cap remaining: Rs 16.05
Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira (T), Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorious, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja (T), Riyan Parag, Sam Curran (T), Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Charak
Royals will need to strengthen their spin department after releasing Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya, with Ravindra Jadeja being their only established option. They may also look to add an experienced fast bowler to balance the attack.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
17 players retained | 6 overseas | Total spent: Rs 108.60 | Cap remaining: Rs 16.40
Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thushara, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal
RCB will be on the lookout for an overseas fast-bowling back-up for Josh Hazlewood, especially with his workload set to increase if he plays both the Ashes and the T20 World Cup back-to-back. They may also need cover for Yash Dayal, who hasn't played any competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 final.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
15 players retained | 6 overseas | Total spent: Rs 99.50 | Cap remaining: Rs 25.50
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, Smaran Ravichandaran, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari
After releasing Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar, SRH will need to rebuild their spin department with at least a couple of quality options. They are also likely to target an all-rounder and possibly an Indian fast bowler to round out their squad.
