Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction It’s very close, and teams have started finalizing their squads ahead of the much-awaited mini auction. Retention decisions taken by franchises are important as they set the direction for strategies, budget allocation and team balance for the upcoming season. With many key players retained, fans and analysts are keenly watching how these choices shape the dynamics of the competition. This year’s retention phase has highlighted the franchise’s confidence in key Indian players, while strategically balancing overseas talent to maximize its playing XI potential.
IPL 2026 Retention: Key Indian players retained by franchises
Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, the franchises have retained several key Indian players who are expected to form the backbone of their respective teams. Gujarat Titans Captain is protected Shubman Gill Which also includes a strong Indian contingent Sai Sudarshan, Washington Sundar, Mohammed SirajAnd Prasidh Krishna, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Have continued to rely on giants like Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt PadikkalAnd Bhuvneshwar KumarBalancing experienced batsmen and bowlers. Mumbai Indians Retains its original Indian lineup features Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Jasprit BumrahAnd Tilak VermaA sign of confidence in proven artists. Sunrisers Hyderabad has retained Abhishek Sharma And Ishan Kishan While the Indians with a mix of fast bowlers and all-rounders punjab kings have shown confidence in Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep SinghAnd Yuzvendra Chahal among others.
Chennai Super Kings turned to their trusted Indian talents including Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Shivam DubeyAnd Khalil AhmedMaintaining the consistency that has made them perennial contenders. Rajasthan Royals hold promising names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan ParagAnd Dhruv JurelUnderlined his focus on youth development. Kolkata Knight Riders Like secured the services of experienced Indian players Ajinkya Rahane, Manish PandeyAnd Varun ChakrabortyDelhi Capitals’ retention options also include their captain Akshar Patel And KL RahulSupported by homegrown talents like Abhishek Porel And -Kuldeep YadavMeanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants have retained star Indian players Rishabh Pant (captain), Avesh KhanAnd Mayank Yadav To build a strong core.
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Complete list of retained players ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction
Here is the complete retained list of players retained by all IPL franchises for the 2026 season:
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudarshan, 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 Bangalore: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethel, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyyash Sharma.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Robin Minze, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dheer, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacques, 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 Smrana, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Pat Cummins (captain), Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari.
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Paila Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Azmatullah Umzai, Mushir Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Visak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Michelle Owen.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dubey, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmed, Khalil Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapaneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis.
Rajasthan Royals: Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Luan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Ryan Parag, Yudhveer Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Quena Mafaka, Ashok Sharma, Nandre Berger.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakraborty, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik.
Delhi Capitals: Akshar Patel (captain), KL Rahul, Abhishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripura Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera.
Lucknow Super Giants: Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Bretzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh.
With the conclusion of the retention phase, the mini auction promises to be an exciting event where teams aim to fill the remaining gaps and strengthen their squads for the IPL 2026 season. The retention options reflect a strong focus on retaining Indian talent as the backbone, while foreign players add value and depth to the squad.
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