Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is around the corner, and teams have begun finalizing their squads ahead of the much-anticipated mini auction. Retention decisions made by franchises are pivotal as they set the tone for strategies, budget allocations, and team balance for the upcoming season. With several marquee players retained, fans and analysts are keenly watching how these choices shape the competition dynamics. This year’s retention phase has highlighted the franchises’ trust in core Indian players while strategically balancing overseas talent to maximize their playing XI potential.
IPL 2026 Retention: Key Indian players retained by franchises
Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, franchises have retained several key Indian players who are expected to be the backbone of their respective teams. Gujarat Titans have safeguarded captain Shubman Gill alongside a strong Indian contingent including Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) continues to rely on stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, balancing experienced batters and bowlers. Mumbai Indians have maintained their core Indian lineup featuring Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma, indicating faith in proven performers. Sunrisers Hyderabad has retained Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan with a mix of Indian pace bowlers and all-rounders, while Punjab Kings have showcased confidence in Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal among others.
Chennai Super Kings turned to their dependable Indian talents including Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, and Khaleel Ahmed, maintaining the stability that has made them perennial contenders. Rajasthan Royals hold on to promising names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, underscoring their focus on youth development. Kolkata Knight Riders secured the services of experienced Indian players such as Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, and Varun Chakravarthy. Delhi Capitals’ retention choices include their captain Axar Patel and KL Rahul, supported by domestic talents like Abishek Porel and Kuldeep Yadav. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants have retained star Indian players including Rishabh Pant (captain), Avesh Khan, and Mayank Yadav to build a robust core.
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Complete list of players retained ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction
Here is the complete retention list of players retained by all IPL franchises for the 2026 season:
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, 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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, AM Ghazanfar.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 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.
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (C), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Azmatullah Omarzai, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Owen.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Ayush Mhatre, M.S. Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis.
Rajasthan Royals: Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Nandre Burger.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik.
Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (C), KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera.
Lucknow Super Giants: Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (C), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh.
With the retention phase concluded, the mini auction promises to be an exciting event where teams aim to fill remaining gaps and strengthen their squads for the IPL 2026 season. The retention choices reveal a strong focus on retaining Indian talent as the backbone, while overseas players add value and depth to the squads.
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