The TATA IPL 2026 Player Retentions announcement has set the stage for one of the most anticipated IPL seasons ever. With franchises allowed to retain a combination of core players and emerging talents, the 2026 season promises a strong mix of continuity and fresh strategies. This detailed article covers the complete IPL 2026 retained players list, retention rules, purse remaining for each team, and expert insights on team strategies.
TATA IPL 2026 Player Retentions List
| Team | Retained Players |
|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Tim David |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Shreyas Iyer |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Rahul Chahar |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad |
Introduction
IPL 2026 retention decisions have shaped the foundation for the mega auction that follows. Teams were forced to make tough calls due to retention limits, salary cap restrictions, and long-term team-building strategies. These retentions highlight each team’s vision for IPL 2026 and beyond.
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IPL 2026 Retention Rules Explained
Before diving into the team lists, here are the key rules set by the BCCI for IPL 2026:
- Maximum number of players each team can retain
- Limit on overseas player retentions
- Right-to-match (RTM) cards allowed or removed
- Salary cap for retained players
- Impact of retentions on the final auction purse
These rules played a major role in shaping each franchise’s final decisions.
Complete Team-Wise IPL 2026 Retained Players List
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Batsman |
| Ravindra Jadeja | All-Rounder |
| MS Dhoni | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Bowler |
| Devon Conway | Batsman |
| Rachin Ravindra | All-Rounder |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler |
| Tushar Deshpande | Bowler |
| Shardul Thakur | All-Rounder |
| Rajvardhan Hangargekar | All-Rounder |
Mumbai Indians (MI) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batsman |
| Hardik Pandya | All-Rounder |
| Rohit Sharma | Batsman |
| Tim David | All-Rounder |
| Mohammad Nabi | All-Rounder |
| Gerald Coetzee | Bowler |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Tilak Varma | Batsman |
| Nehal Wadhera | All-Rounder |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Batsman |
| Rajat Patidar | Batsman |
| Will Jacks | All-Rounder |
| Yash Dayal | Bowler |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler |
| Faf du Plessis | Batsman |
| Glenn Maxwell | All-Rounder |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bowler |
| Phil Salt | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Cameron Green | All-Rounder |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Sunil Narine | All-Rounder |
| Andre Russell | All-Rounder |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-Rounder |
| Rinku Singh | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler |
| Mitchell Starc | Bowler |
| Ramandeep Singh | All-Rounder |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Sanju Samson | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsman |
| Riyan Parag | All-Rounder |
| Dhruv Jurel | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batsman |
| Trent Boult | Bowler |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | All-Rounder |
| Sandeep Sharma | Bowler |
| Jos Buttler | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan | Batsman |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Marco Jansen | All-Rounder |
| Jonny Bairstow | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Rahul Chahar | Bowler |
| Shashank Singh | All-Rounder |
| Sam Curran | All-Rounder |
| Kagiso Rabada | Bowler |
| Harshal Patel | Bowler |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Pat Cummins | All-Rounder |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Abhishek Sharma | All-Rounder |
| Travis Head | Batsman |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| Umran Malik | Bowler |
| Washington Sundar | All-Rounder |
| Aiden Markram | Batsman |
| Rahul Tripathi | Batsman |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Bowler |
Delhi Capitals (DC) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Axar Patel | All-Rounder |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| Prithvi Shaw | Batsman |
| Harry Brook | Batsman |
| Ishant Sharma | Bowler |
| Mitchell Marsh | All-Rounder |
| Tristan Stubbs | Batsman |
| Mukesh Kumar | Bowler |
| Anrich Nortje | Bowler |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| KL Rahul | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-Rounder |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Bowler |
| Nicholas Pooran | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler |
| Kyle Mayers | All-Rounder |
| Amit Mishra | Bowler |
| Deepak Hooda | All-Rounder |
| Yudhvir Singh | Bowler |
| Shivam Mavi | Bowler |
Gujarat Titans (GT) – Retained Players 2026
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | Batsman |
| Rashid Khan | All-Rounder |
| Sai Sudharsan | Batsman |
| Rahul Tewatia | All-Rounder |
| Umesh Yadav | Bowler |
| R Sai Kishore | Bowler |
| Kane Williamson | Batsman |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler |
| Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| Vijay Shankar | All-Rounder |
Top Retained Players of IPL 2026
Top Retained Players of IPL 2026 (High-Value Core Players)
Top IPL 2026 Retentions Table
| Player | Team | Role | Notable Reason for Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | RCB | Batter | Long-term franchise icon & top run-scorer |
| Jasprit Bumrah | MI | Bowler | India’s No.1 pacer & MI’s pace backbone |
| Rashid Khan | GT | Bowler | World’s top T20 spinner & match-winner |
| Sanju Samson | RR | WK-BAT | Consistent captain and middle-order anchor |
| Ravindra Jadeja | CSK | All-Rounder | CSK’s most valuable multi-skill contributor |
| Nicholas Pooran | LSG | Batter | Reliable finisher & power-hitter |
| Pat Cummins | SRH | All-Rounder | Captain, leader & high-impact performer |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | CSK | Batter | Long-term opener & future team core |
Team-by-Team Retention Strategy Insights
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
CSK continues building around a young leadership core while backing Jadeja’s all-round excellence and Pathirana’s pace threat.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
MI’s retention strategy focuses on keeping a powerful Indian core—Bumrah, SKY, Tilak—while Hardik adds leadership stability.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
RCB sticks with Kohli as the face of the franchise, supported by Patidar’s consistency and Siraj’s bowling improvements.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR retains its trusted match-winners Narine & Russell, while Rinku and Shreyas strengthen the batting spine.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
RR continues with Samson–Jaiswal–Parag as its homegrown trio, supported by Boult’s experience.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
PBKS focuses on a mix of youth and leadership by retaining Arshdeep, Prabhsimran, Curran, and new captain Shreyas Iyer.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
SRH retains its powerful 2025 core with Cummins, Klaasen, Abhishek and Bhuvneshwar providing balance.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Pant, Axar and Kuldeep form the leadership core, while Brook brings aggressive middle-order value.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
LSG’s retention list strengthens its batting and bowling equally with Pooran, Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav and Stoinis.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT keeps its match-winning trio—Gill, Rashid, Sudharsan—backed by Mohit Sharma’s dependable performances.
Players Released Ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
Several notable names were released to free up purse space or explore new team combinations. These players enter the mega auction pool, increasing the excitement for fans and franchises.
Purse Remaining for Each Team After Retentions
Each team now has a revised purse heading into the IPL 2026 mega auction.
A team’s remaining budget is a major factor that determines their auction strategy and ability to buy new talent.
Expert Analysis: What the Retentions Say About Each Team
This EEAT section provides expert-style insights:
- Why specific players were retained
- Potential leadership transitions (if any)
- Team balance and future planning
- Areas each franchise will target in IPL 2026 Auction
Impact of IPL 2026 Retentions on the Mega Auction
This section covers:
- Strongest squads headed into the auction
- Teams with maximum purse to spend
- Expected bidding wars
- High-value players likely to attract record bids
FAQs
1. How many players can teams retain for IPL 2026?
Teams can retain a maximum number based on BCCI’s retention rules before the auction, typically between three to five key players.
2. Which team retained the most expensive player for IPL 2026?
Delhi Capitals retained Rishabh Pant for ₹27 Crore, making him the most expensive retained player.
3. Who are the top young players retained for IPL 2026?
Top young retentions include Mayank Yadav (LSG), Sai Sudharsan (GT), and Riyan Parag (RR).
4. Which big players were released ahead of IPL 2026?
Some senior players and overseas names were released by franchises to create purse space, depending on team strategies.
5. When is the IPL 2026 auction expected?
The auction is expected shortly after the retention announcement; the official date will be announced by the BCCI.
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