The IPL Governing Council had set 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 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):
After a dismal IPL 2025 campaign, where LSG finished seventh on the points table, the franchise had to take key decisions ahead of the retention deadline for next season.
Skipper Rishabh Pant stayed on despite an average last season. LSG management still believes in his long-term value as a leader and match-winner. Ayush Badoni has also been retained for his growing potential as a finisher.
As expected, LSG retained their biggest match-winner Nicholas Pooran, who remains their most reliable middle-order striker and a key figure in the leadership group.
On the bowling front, Avesh Khan has been retained by the side after his strong comeback last season, offering pace and death-overs value. Young spinner Digvesh Rathi, who impressed everyone with his wicket-taking abilities last season, is another name LSG decided to keep hold of.
LSG’s retained players before IPL 2026 Auction: Rishabh Pant (C), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh.
LSG released several underperforming names to make room for a more balanced squad. All-rounder Shardul Thakur was already traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹2 crore and he wasn’t part of the franchise's options for release or retention.
The franchise released quality leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and seamer Akash Deep. LSG also parted ways with power-hitter David Miller before the auction to add more money to their wallet.
LSG’s released players before IPL 2026 Auction: Aryan Juyal, David Miller, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi
Traded in - Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammed Shami
Traded out - Shardul Thakur
List of retained and released players by Delhi Capitals (DC):
The Capitals had a mixed IPL 2025, finishing fifth in the team standings after a strong start to their campaign. As the mini-auction approaches next month, the DC management has started reshaping their squad.
DC retained Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Tristan Stubbs all of whom were among their most reliable performers last season.
The biggest buzz in the IPL trade window surrounding DC was about KL Rahul, but the senior India batter was retained by the franchise, especially after his impressive 2025 campaign, where he scored 539 runs in 13 innings at an average of 53.90 and a strike rate of 149.72 with three half-centuries.
DC’s retained players before IPL 2026 Auction: Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera
Delhi Capitals moved on from Faf du Plessis and Jak Fraser-McGurk to raise funds for the auction. Experienced pacer Mohit Sharma was also let go of by the franchise. Meanwhile, Donovan Ferrerira has already been traded away to the Rajasthan Royals.
DC’s released players before IPL 2026 Auction: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande
Traded in – Nitish Rana
Traded out - Donovan Ferreira
