The countdown to theTATA IPL Retention 2026 season has officially begun, and the cricketing world is buzzing with energy. The Abu Dhabi December 16 future auction has been reshaped by the IPL Retention announcement. It has retained 173 players in 10 franchises of which 49 are overseas cricketers, and only 77 slots remain vacant as well as 237.55 crore to spend. Beginning with blockbuster retention, such as Virat Kohli, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Heinrich Klaasen, to the outrageous releases, such as Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, this retention list has transformed the whole competition of the season ahead.
In this article we will discuss about the retention details of IPL Retention 2026 : Date, List, Date and Time, Venue and More
IPL Retention 2026 Details
The news of the official player retention has been a boost to the enthusiasm of the TATA IPL 2026 season, producing a strong surge of anticipation both amongst fans and analysts. The retention list is indicative of ambitious choices, sentimental attachment, and astute long-term strategizing by all the 10 franchises. The old names such as MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rashid Khan as well as new stars such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mayank Yadav have empowered their personal identities and ambition of winning the championship.
| Category | Value |
| Total Players Retained | 173 |
| Total Overseas Players Retained | 49 |
| Remaining Purse Across All Teams | ₹237.55 Cr |
| Total Player Slots Available | 77 |
| Overseas Slots Available | 31 |
| Maximum Squad Size | 25 players |
| Auction Venue | Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi |
| Auction Date | 16 December 2025 |
IPL 2026 Team Purse & Slot Table
Among the biggest attractions is the amount of money that the respective teams have spent and have left to finalize their respective teams.
| Franchise | Players | Overseas | Total Spend (₹ Cr.) | Purse Remaining (₹ Cr.) | Slots Left | Overseas Slots |
| CSK | 16 | 4 | 81.6 | 43.4 | 9 | 4 |
| DC | 17 | 3 | 103.2 | 21.8 | 8 | 5 |
| GT | 20 | 4 | 112.1 | 12.9 | 5 | 4 |
| KKR | 12 | 2 | 60.7 | 64.3 | 13 | 6 |
| LSG | 19 | 4 | 102.05 | 22.95 | 6 | 4 |
| MI | 20 | 7 | 122.25 | 2.75 | 5 | 1 |
| PBKS | 21 | 6 | 113.5 | 11.5 | 4 | 2 |
| RCB | 17 | 6 | 108.6 | 16.4 | 8 | 2 |
| RR | 16 | 7 | 108.95 | 16.05 | 9 | 1 |
| SRH | 15 | 6 | 99.5 | 25.5 | 10 | 2 |
| Total | 173 | 49 | 1012.45 | 237.55 | 77 | 31 |
KKR holds the biggest purse (₹64.3cr), MI the least (₹2.75cr).
Retention Rules At a Glance
| Category | Rule |
| Max Retentions | 6 players |
| Max capped players | 5 |
| Max uncapped players | 2 |
| Salary slabs | ₹18cr / ₹14cr / ₹11cr |
| Uncapped salary | ₹4cr |
| Overseas salary ceiling | Cannot exceed ₹18cr |
| Team purse | ₹120cr |
IPL 2026 Team Wise Retained Players Stats, List With Role + Price
List of retained players team wise are listed below:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Batter | 18 |
| Sanju Samson | WK/Batter | 18 |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder | 12 |
| Noor Ahmad* | Bowler | 10 |
| MS Dhoni | WK | 4 |
| Dewald Brevis* | Batter | 2.2 |
Delhi Capitals (DC)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Axar Patel | All-rounder | 16.5 |
| KL Rahul | WK/Batter | 14 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler | 13.25 |
| Mitchell Starc* | Bowler | 11.75 |
| Tristan Stubbs* | Batter | 10 |
Gujarat Titans (GT)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Rashid Khan* | Bowler | 18 |
| Shubman Gill | Batter/C | 16.5 |
| Jos Buttler* | WK/Batter | 15.75 |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bowler | 12.25 |
| Kagiso Rabada* | Bowler | 10.75 |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Rinku Singh | Batter | 13 |
| Sunil Narine* | All-rounder | 12 |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Bowler | 12 |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler | 4 |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Rishabh Pant | WK/Batter | 27 |
| Nicholas Pooran* | WK/Batter | 21 |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler | 11 |
| Mitchell Marsh* | All-rounder | 3.4 |
Mumbai Indians (MI)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler | 18 |
| Hardik Pandya | All-rounder/C | 16.35 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter | 16.35 |
| Rohit Sharma | Batter | 16.3 |
| Trent Boult* | Bowler | 12.5 |
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batter/C | 26.75 |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler | 18 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler | 18 |
| Marcus Stoinis* | All-rounder | 11 |
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batter | 18 |
| Riyan Parag | Batter | 14 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder | — |
| Jofra Archer* | Bowler | 12.5 |
| Shimron Hetmyer* | Batter | 11 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Virat Kohli | Batter | 21 |
| Rajat Patidar | Batter/C | 11 |
| Josh Hazlewood* | Bowler | 12.5 |
| Phil Salt* | WK/Batter | 11.5 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler | 10.75 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
| Player | Role | Price (₹ cr) |
| Heinrich Klaasen* | WK/Batter | 23 |
| Pat Cummins* | C/All-rounder | 18 |
| Travis Head* | Batter | 14 |
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter | 14 |
IPL 2026 Overseas Retained Player
| Team | Overseas Players Retained |
| CSK | 4 |
| DC | 3 |
| GT | 4 |
| KKR | 2 |
| LSG | 4 |
| MI | 7 |
| PBKS | 6 |
| RCB | 6 |
| RR | 7 |
| SRH | 6 |
Note:-MI & RR lead with 7 overseas stars each.
Top IPL Retained Players – Price Ranking Table
| Player | Team | Price (₹ cr) |
| Rishabh Pant | LSG | 27 |
| Shreyas Iyer | PBKS | 26.75 |
| Heinrich Klaasen* | SRH | 23 |
| Virat Kohli | RCB | 21 |
| Nicholas Pooran* | LSG | 21 |
What These Retention Means For The Auction
Teams with High Purse → Big Spending Mode
The Kolkata Knight Riders (₹64.3cr), Chennai Super Kings (₹43.4cr) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (₹25.5cr) teams go into the IPL 2026 auction with the financial strength to transform their teams. Such a high degree of purse flexibility allows such franchises to afford to pursue marquee players, and focus on match-winning all-rounders and actively pursue express pacers- duties that have shown to be decisive in recent seasons of the IPL.
KKR specifically is likely to take up most of the initial bidding as they seek to oust Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer with new finishing power and bowling strength.CSK has established a core and may seek to reconstruct their pace unit, but SRH will aim to support their explosive top-order with death-over experts and all-round depth. Well-known players such as Andre Russell and expensive foreign pacers might spark a bidding war, and these three franchises will spearhead the auction storyline.
Tight-Budget Teams Tactical Buying
Mumbai Indians (₹2.75cr), Gujarat Titans (₹12.9cr) and Punjab Kings (₹11.5cr) on the other side of the table have less spending capacity and have to be more selective and tactical. These teams already possess quality backbone teams and will now seek to fill certain gaps as opposed to sweeping changes. They will focus on the undervalued uncapped Indian talents, the specialist role players, and the back-up of the squad that would provide balance without draining the purse. MI, specifically, will need to focus on depth within a shoestring budget, whereas GT and PBKS will seek to scrape immense amounts with specialist bowlers and mid-order utility offerings. These franchises should not fight over headline signings, but they should have thoughtful, analytical bidding practices and rely on player development, experience, and squad chemistry instead of massive expenditures.
Positions in high demand
| Role | Market Demand |
| Death pacers | Very high |
| Spin all-rounders | High |
| Middle-order hitters | High |
| Backup wicketkeepers | Medium |
Key Strategy Takeaways
1. Fast bowlers are the new gold
2. Salaries are dominated by all-rounders
Pandya, Jadeja, Cummins, Marsh and Stoinis have a high impact value.
3. Young India essence is invaluable
Jaiswal, Patidar, Rinku, Dube- retained long term franchise structure.
4. Wicket-keepers are market leaders
Pant, Samson, KL Rahul, Buttler, Klaasen, Pooran – elite match winners.
Conclusion
The auction in 2026 IPL retention has established one of the most thrilling auction in a long time. The unexpected emergence of stars such as Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, the sudden promotion of retention prices on wicket-keepers, enhanced priority to pace bowling units, and emergence of the overseas pay-scale cap rule are all factors that initiate a new competitive order.
Such teams as KKR and CSK will promote headline bidding, whereas MI and GT will target tactical budget solutions. Players such as Klaasen and Pant start the season as the most expensive match-winners, which shows how IPL teams attach importance to strike-rate, versatility and finishing power. The 2026 season is already shaping up as a strategic revolution – one constructed on the principles of aggressive data-driven retention, bold trades, and the long-term core construction.
FAQs
The IPL 2026 season also retained 173 players in 10 franchises.
Teams had retained 49 foreigners, which means that it will be well represented internationally in IPL 2026.
The biggest auction purse is held by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) whereby there is ₹64.3 crore at their disposal.
The IPL Auction 2026 will be hosted on 16 December 2025 in Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) led in the number of players having 21 squad members.
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