Cricket

List of Retained Players for IPL 2026

A comprehensive team-wise list of all players retained by the 10 IPL franchises ahead of the 2026 mini-auction, announced on November 15, 2025.

10 itemsUpdated Mar 26, 2026

The player retention window for TATA IPL 2026 closed on November 15, 2025, with all 10 teams retaining a total of 173 players (including 49 overseas). This set the stage for the mini-auction held in December 2025 in Abu Dhabi. Teams like Punjab Kings retained the highest number (21), while others focused on core Indian and overseas stars. Key highlights include big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Rishabh Pant staying with their franchises. Here is the complete team-wise list of retained players for IPL 2026.

#	Name	Players	Overseas	Highlight
1	Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 16 players retained \| 4 overseas \| Spent: ₹81.60 Cr \| Remaining: ₹43.40 Cr CSK retained their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, veteran MS Dhoni, and key all-rounders and bowlers. Sanju Samson joined via trade from Rajasthan Royals.	Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson (T), Shivam Dube,...	4	Core batting and bowling retained with Dhoni's continuity
2	Delhi Capitals (DC) 17 players retained \| 3 overseas \| Spent: ₹103.20 Cr \| Remaining: ₹21.80 Cr DC kept their spin and pace core including Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and KL Rahul, along with Mitchell Starc.	KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Karun Nair, Abhishek...	3	Strong Indian core with Starc as key overseas
3	Gujarat Titans (GT) 20 players retained \| 4 overseas \| Spent: ₹112.10 Cr \| Remaining: ₹12.90 Cr GT retained their captain Shubman Gill, explosive Jos Buttler, and spin king Rashid Khan, maintaining a balanced squad.	Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Ra...	4	Gill and Rashid Khan as pillars
4	Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 12 players retained \| 2 overseas \| Spent: ₹60.70 Cr \| Remaining: ₹64.30 Cr KKR opted for a leaner retention, keeping Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy while releasing several big names including Andre Russell.	Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ajinkya Ra...	2	Focused retention leaving significant purse for auction
5	Mumbai Indians (MI) 20 players retained \| 6-7 overseas \| Spent: ₹122.25 Cr \| Remaining: ₹2.75 Cr MI retained their star core including captain Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult.	Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bu...	6-7	Star-studded retention with minimal purse left
6	Punjab Kings (PBKS) 21 players retained \| 6 overseas \| Spent: ₹113.50 Cr \| Remaining: ₹11.50 Cr PBKS retained the highest number, led by Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal.	Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus St...	6	Largest retention list with strong pace and all-round depth
7	Rajasthan Royals (RR) 16 players retained \| 6-7 overseas \| Spent: ₹108.95 Cr \| Remaining: ₹16.05 Cr RR kept their young core including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, with Jofra Archer as key overseas.	Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Vaibhav Surya...	6-7	Youthful batting lineup with pace reinforcements
8	Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) 17 players retained \| 5-6 overseas \| Spent: ₹108.60 Cr \| Remaining: ₹16.40 Cr Defending champions RCB retained Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and key overseas like Phil Salt and Tim David.	Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, ...	5-6	Kohli-led core with balanced overseas support
9	Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 15 players retained \| 6 overseas \| Spent: ₹99.50 Cr \| Remaining: ₹25.50 Cr SRH retained explosive batters Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen, along with captain Pat Cummins.	Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kis...	6	Aggressive batting core with Cummins leadership
10	Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) 19 players retained \| 4-5 overseas \| Spent: ₹102.05 Cr \| Remaining: ₹22.95 Cr LSG retained Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, and Mitchell Marsh, building around their explosive middle order.	Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Bado...	4-5	Pant and Pooran as finishing powerhouses

This list is compiled from verified public records and reference sources. Last verified: March 26, 2026.

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