The IPL Governing Council had set Saturday (November 15) as the deadline for teams to announce their retained and released players for the 2026 edition of the tournament, and the list was duly unveiled by all 10 franchises.

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 guidelines, 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.

List of retained and released players by Sunrises Hyderabad (SRH):

SRH retained a core group of players, which includes captain Pat Cummins, star openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, and explosive Indian wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan.

Among other players retained by the Hyderabad-based franchise include Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and Kamindu Mendis.

SRH’s retained players before IPL 2026 Auction:

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Pat Cummins (C), Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari

SRH released several underperforming players to reshuffle their squad ahead of the 2026 season. Senior India pacer Mohammed Shami was already traded to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and he wasn’t part of the franchise's options for release or retention.

The Sunrisers also moved on from the likes of Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar as they consider signing new bowling options at the auction.

SRH’s released players before IPL 2026 Auction:

Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Mohammad Shami (traded to LSG)

List of retained and released players by Gujarat Titans (GT):

The Titans have continued to trust their core group that has been consistent over the past few seasons, including skipper Shubman Gill, along with Sai Sudharsan and Rashid Khan. Jos Buttler is another marquee name in the list of retained players.

Among all-rounders, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, and Rahul Tewatia have been retained by the franchise.

The 2022 champions also retained the services of their dependable fast bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, preserving a balanced domestic-overseas mix.

GT’s retained players before IPL 2026 Auction:

Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav

Several overseas and domestic players have been released as the Titans aim to create room for new signings in the upcoming mini auction.

The list includes Karim Janat, Gerald Coetzee, Dasun Shanaka among others. Sherfane Rutherford was earlier traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) from GT for INR 2.6 crore.

GT’s released players before IPL 2026 Auction:

Dasun Shanaka, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya, Sherfane Rutherford (traded to MI).