IPL 2026 Released Players List: Full Team-Wise Details Ahead of Mini Auction

The IPL 2026 mini-auction is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, and teams are now working to finalise their retention lists before the deadline on November 15. Ahead of this, several big-name players are expected to be released, including Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone, Matheesha Pathirana, Ravi Bishnoi, David Miller, and Akash Deep.

Letting go of such star players would free up significant budget space for franchises and could lead to interesting bidding wars at the auction. Although the IPL 2026 auction is a mini auction but some franchises are expected to come up with a significant purse after releasing a bunch of key players to revamp their squad ahead of the season.

Which Team Will Have the Highest Purse in IPL 2026 Auction?

Three-time champions of the league, Kolkata Knight Riders, are expected to head into the IPL 2026 auction with the largest purse among all franchises by releasing a number of high-value players. By letting go of players such as Venkatesh Iyer, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Spencer Johnson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali and a few others, KKR is estimated to have freed up around ₹40–42 crore.

IPL 2026 Release Players List

As the IPL 2026 mini-auction approaches, all ten franchises have made significant changes to their squads by releasing a number of high-profile and expensive players. Among the big names expected to be released are Glenn Maxwell from Punjab Kings, David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, and Akash Deep from Lucknow Super Giants.

Chennai Super Kings are parting ways with seasoned players such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tripathi, while RCB is also letting go of Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam and Yash Dayal to restructure their squad. These decisions are aimed at freeing up significant budget space for the mini-auction in December.

1. Chennai Super Kings | 7 Players to be Released

These players are among the key released players for one of the best IPL teams, CSK, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. High-profile cricketers like Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, and Matheesha Pathirana had significant bids in the previous auction. Letting go of such players could free up budget space for CSK, and they might have one of the highest purses at the auction, with around 39 crore in their auction purse.

2. Punjab Kings | 6 Players to be Released

Players like Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, and Aaron Hardie carried significant value, while others, such as Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey, and Vishnu Vinod, were modestly priced, and these players are likely to be released ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. After releasing these players, PBKS will most likely have around 9 crore in their purse at the auction table.

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 3 Players to be Released

After having a squad that went on to win the IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru might opt to release their England all-rounder, Liam Livingstone.

Livingstone, who was purchased for ₹8.75 crore at last year’s auction, scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.33 and claimed two wickets across five matches. One of the richest IPL teams, RCB will earn a significant purse of around 20 crore by releasing just three players from their squad.

4. Delhi Capitals | 4 Players to be Released

Delhi Capitals are still weighing the pros and cons of retaining T. Natarajan, but sources suggest that the franchise has largely decided to let go of Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Harry Brook.

Mohit Sharma is also expected to be released from the squad. Faf had been signed for ₹2 crore and Mohit for ₹2.2 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. Like the RCB, Delhi Capitals are also expected to enter the auction with a nearly 20 crore purse.

5. Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 Players to be Released

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer is expected to be released back into the IPL 2026 auction, which would free up ₹23.75 crore in KKR’s purse. In addition to Iyer, the franchise is likely to part ways with Anrich Nortje (₹6.5 crore), Quinton de Kock (₹3.6 crore), Spencer Johnson (₹2.8 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore), Moeen Ali (₹2 crore), as well as the uncapped duo Luvnith Sisodia and Chetan Sakariya. KKR might head to the auction with the highest purse as they might have nearly 42 crore in their auction purse.

6. Lucknow Super Giants | 3 Players to be Released

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are expected to retain Indian pacer Mayank Yadav, while parting ways with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, South African batsman David Miller, and Indian fast bowler Akash Deep ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They are expected to have a budget of nearly ₹26.50 crore at the auction table.

7. Mumbai Indians | 2 Players to be Released

Mumbai Indians are expected to consider moving on from Deepak Chahar and Richard Gleeson ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, mainly to free up some much-needed purse space. Chahar, who cost the franchise ₹9.25 crore, struggled to consistently deliver the impact MI would have hoped for, while Gleeson, picked up at ₹1 crore, did not feature enough to retain his spot. They will have a purse of nearly ₹10 crore at the auction table for the mini auction.

8. Rajasthan Royals | 2 Players to be Released

Both Tushar Deshpande and Maheesh Theekshana are being discussed as potential releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, largely due to their price tags from the previous season. Deshpande was signed for ₹6.50 crore, while Theekshana cost ₹4.40 crore, and letting them go would allow their franchise to open up a considerable amount of purse space.

9. Sun Risers Hyderabad | 3 Players to be Released

Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, and Brydon Carse might be among the released players for SRH ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Harshal was signed for ₹8 crore, making him one of the costlier bowlers on his team, while Rahul Chahar came in at ₹3.2 crore and Brydon Carse at ₹1 crore.

SRH need to strengthen their bowling lineup as last season they really struggled with their bowlers, and they might have nearly 12 crore to get some exciting talent from the auction 2026.

10. Gujarat Titans | 3 Players to be Released

Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, and Gerald Coetzee might get released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Tewatia was signed for ₹4 crore, Lomror for ₹1.7 crore, and Coetzee for ₹2.4 crore. Releasing this trio would allow the franchise to rework its squad balance, especially with several impactful all-rounders and overseas quicks expected to enter the player pool for 2026.