All 10 IPL teams unveiled their list of retained and released players on November 15.
Indian Premier League (IPL) fever has already begun to spread around the cricket crazy nation, India, as the player retention and release for the 2026 edition created enough buzz.
All 10 IPL franchises unveiled their list of retained and released players on the deadline day (November 15).
Teams were allowed to retain or release as many players as they wish, with no cap, unlike the mega-auction years. However, as per the rules, each franchise must operate within the salary purse limit of 120 crore and assemble a squad of up to 25 players, including a maximum of eight overseas players.
The retention list of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was headlined by the legendary MS Dhoni, alongside skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Shivam Dube.
Notably, CSK used the uncapped player rule to retain the services of Dhoni for only INR 4 crore last year. The 44-year-old will continue to feature in the league as an uncapped player.
Among other players retained by the Chennai-based franchise include Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mukesh Choudhary.
Earlier in the day, the five-time champions completed a high-profile trade deal by snapping up Rajasthan Royals star Sanju Samson for Rs 18 crore.
CSK let go of their legendary all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as the franchise proposed the time for transition as a key reason behind the move. They also traded Sam Curran as part of the deal with RR.
Overseas stars such as Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra also joined the list of CSK players released before the mini-auction.
List of players retained by CSK before IPL 2026 Auction:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton , Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary.
List of players released by CSK before IPL 2026 Auction:
Ravindra Jadeja (traded to RR), Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran (traded to RR), Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shaik Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Matheesha Pathirana.
Traded in from RR: Sanju Samson