Virat Kohli to MS Dhoni: Complete IPL 2026 Retained Players List Out
IPL 2026: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and top stars retained. Teams now prepare for auction with ₹237.55 crore total purse across 77 slots.
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The player retention phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ended on November 15, 2025. Next, all ten franchises announced their retained teams. In total, the league saw the retention of 173 players, which included 49 overseas cricketers, and thus 77 spots are left for the upcoming mini-auction. The mini-auction will be conducted on December 16 at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena and a total of ₹237.55 crore is up for grabs.
The franchises have kept big Indian players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah among the marquee players. Each team now goes to the auction with different sizes of the purse and plans to complete their squad accordingly.
Franchise Retentions and Purse Details
Punjab Kings
Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings held on to 21 players out of which six were foreigners. The team has ₹11.50 crore left to fill four auction slots. Among the key retained names are Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, and Lockie Ferguson.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
CSK's auction purse of ₹43.40 crore coming at the second-largest slot as the maximum potential buyers are nine. The franchise kept 16 players, four of whom were foreigners. The squad also acquired Sanju Samson in a trade. The team includes MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Gopal, and Shivam Dube.
Rajasthan Royals
The first IPL kings maintained 16 players, among whom 7 were foreign. They will come to the auction with ₹16.05 crore to fill 9 remaining spots. The roster includes Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag.
Mumbai Indians
The five-time champs, Mumbai Indians, are left with only the smallest remaining purse of ₹2.75 crore for up to five auction slots after retaining 20 players. Among the big names, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Trent Boult have been retained.
Lucknow Super Giants
The Lucknow Super Giants retained a total of 19 players, which included four overseas stars, and they have a budget of ₹22.95 crore to recruit six players in the auction. Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Arjun Tendulkar are among the retained players.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals kept 17 players, three of whom were foreign recruits, and have a budget of ₹21.80 crore left for eight auction slots. KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Nitish Rana, and Mitchell Starc are among the players still in the squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR, who has the largest auction budget of ₹64.30 crore, only retained 12 players out of which two are foreign stars, and they are eligible for a maximum of 13 auction slots. The major retained players are Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, and Manish Pandey.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
RCB kept 17 players, including six foreigners, and has ₹16.40 crore left for 8 auction slots. The retained star names are Virat Kohli, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Devdutt Padikkal.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans led by Shubman Gill, retained 20 players and have ₹12.90 crore to fill five slots. Among the retained players are Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Siraj, and Washington Sundar.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained 15 players, including 6 overseas stars, and have a budget of ₹25.50 crore for a maximum of ten slots. Among the retained players are Ishan Kishan, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Harshal Patel.
