The IPL 2026 player retention window has officially closed, with all 10 franchises submitting their finalized lists of retained, released, and traded players. A total of 173 players will continue with their current teams, including a significant contingent of 49 overseas professionals. This leaves a substantial INR 237.55 crore in combined team purses to bid for the 77 available player slots at the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. The highly anticipated auction will be held on December 16th in Abu Dhabi. Key players like Matheesha Pathirana, Andre Russell, and Ravi Bishnoi are now available in the auction pool after being surprisingly released. Punjab Kings have retained the largest squad with 21 players, demonstrating a clear strategy. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans have opted to retain 20 players each. Teams can still engage in trades until the auction commences.
