The stage is set for a high-stakes mini-auction after ten o’clock Indian Premier League (IPL) The franchises finalized their retention and release lists on November 15, 2025. With the mini-auction taking place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025, the retention day was anything but quiet, with blockbuster trades and shocking high-value releases that have completely changed the squad dynamics in the league.
Unlike the mega-auction, teams were allowed to retain an unlimited number of players, provided they adhered to the salary cap of ₹120 crore and a maximum squad size of 25. This freedom led to a wave of calculated releases, making a combined purse of ₹237.55 crore available for bidding for the 77 remaining player slots. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Whereas, lead the financial war chest Mumbai Indians (MI) Face the auction with the smallest budget.
Here are the full details of available slots and remaining purses:
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR made the most aggressive financial cuts, releasing high-value players like Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore) and andre russell (₹12 crore). This decision gives them a handsome purse, allowing them to rebuild their middle-order and overseas balance effectively.
| KKR | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹64.30 crore |
| available slots | 13 |
| exotic slots | 6 |
| key maintained core | Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Chakraborty |
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Despite sensational trading of sanju samson (in) for Ravindra Jadeja And Sam Curran (out), Super Kings managed to maintain a healthy purse. Like the release of leading international bowlers Mathisha Pathirana (₹13 crore) and top order batsmen like devon conway And Rachin Ravindra Hint of an important team change around the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad And the great MS Dhoni.
| Chennai Super Kings | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹43.40 crore |
| available slots | 9 |
| exotic slots | 4 |
| key maintained core | Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson (trade in), Shivam Dubey |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
SRH have a solid budget, which is important as they look to replace key departures, especially the trade of pace ace Mohammed Shami To LSG. Their focus will likely be on strengthening the fast bowling unit and adding depth to their squad.
| SRH | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹25.50 crore |
| available slots | 10 |
| exotic slots | 2 |
| key maintained core | Pat Cummins (captain), Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
LSG has won big by trading Mohammed ShamiStrengthening his fast attack considerably. Their purse flexibility will allow them to find a suitable replacement for the star spinner Ravi Bishnoi (Continued) and fill in the remaining spaces.
| lsg | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹22.95 crore |
| available slots | 6 |
| exotic slots | 4 |
| key maintained core | Rishabh Pant (captain), Mohammed Shami (trade in), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh |
Delhi Capitals (DC)
DC has traded Nitish Rana and retained a strong Indian core under the leadership of Akshar Patel And KL RahulTheir budget is moderate, which suggests they will be looking for some high-impact foreign players to complete their playing XI,
| DC | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹21.80 crore |
| available slots | 8 |
| exotic slots | 5 |
| key maintained core | KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav |
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
RR’s blockbuster trade, which brought Ravindra Jadeja And Sam Curran At the bottom, they had to spend a lot of money. With only one overseas slot left to fill, their limited purse and nine available slots means they will primarily focus on getting quality domestic backup.
| RR | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹16.05 crore |
| available slots | 9 |
| exotic slots | 1 |
| key maintained core | Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja (trade in), Sam Curran (trade in), Joffra Archer. |
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
RCB made eight strategic releases to free up cash. Their focus will be on filling their eight available slots with medium purses, targeting specific roles to complement the star-studded batting line-up of Kohli and Patidar.
| rcb | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹16.40 crore |
| available slots | 8 |
| exotic slots | 2 |
| key maintained core | Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Hazlewood |
Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT retained a group of 20 players, leaving them little room for maneuver. They will need to be highly selective in discovering just five new players to finalize their balanced squad, which also includes four overseas selections.
| GT | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹12.90 crore |
| available slots | 5 |
| exotic slots | 4 |
| key maintained core | Shubman Gill (c), Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj |
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
PBKS retained the most players (21) of any franchise while opting for stability. Their small purse and just four open slots indicate a strategy of placing only one or two high-value, targeted bids to eliminate their team, as players have been released. glen maxwell,
| PBKS | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹11.50 crore |
| available slots | 4 |
| exotic slots | 2 |
| key maintained core | Shreyas Iyer (captain), Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal |
Mumbai Indians (MI)
The five-time champions enter the auction as the most cash-strapped team, with only ₹2.75 crore left. After maintaining a full-strength core of 20 players including trade-ins Shardul Thakur And Sherfane RutherfordMI will be limited to bargaining to fill their five available slots, which also include just one overseas position.
| MI | |
|---|---|
| purse is left | ₹2.75 crore |
| available slots | 5 |
| exotic slots | 1 |
| key maintained core | Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav |
Also read: IPL 2026 Retention: Complete list of retained players ahead of Indian Premier League mini auction