IPL 2026 - Purse Remaining With All Teams After Retentions: KKR To Enter Auction With Whopping Sum, MI Lowest

The IPL 2026 mini-auction is just around the corner on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, and franchises have finalised their retention, release, and trade decisions. With teams entering the auction with vastly different purse amounts after decisions in the retention window, strategies will vary widely. Some squads kept their core intact, while others reshaped through trades and big releases. Here's a clear breakdown of remaining budgets, key retentions, major trades, and notable players released, the complete pre-auction picture.  

Kolkata Knight Riders head into the auction with having to fill 13 slots, far more than any other team. They retained key contributors like Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, but made several significant releases including Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, and Venkatesh Iyer as part of a major overhaul.  

Chennai Super Kings have also reshaped their squad. They retained stalwarts MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson coming in via a trade from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. CSK released a host of experienced players including Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, and Rachin Ravindra to free up space.  

Mumbai Indians focus was on building continuity. They retained big names like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Will Jacks, and traded in Shardul Thakur from LSG, Sherfane Rutherford from GT, and Mayank Markande from KKR. Among those released were Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma, Lizaad Williams, and Bevon Jacobs.  

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru released England batter Liam Livingstone, India star Mayank Agarwal and others. However, pacer Yash Dayal, who has been in major off-field controversies, was retained by RCB.

2025 runners-up Punjab Kings, who impressed everyone with their mind-blowing performance, also made some shocking releases. PBKS parted ways with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, pacer Aaron Hardie, among others.

Ahead of the auction, let's discuss the purse available for each team after the retention window closed:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs. 64.30 crore

2. Chennai Super Kings: Rs. 43.40 crore

3. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rs. 25.50 crore

4. Lucknow Super Giants: Rs. 22.95 crore

5. Delhi Capitals: Rs. 21.80 crore

6. Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rs. 16.40 crore

7. Rajasthan Royals: Rs. 16.05 crore

8. Gujarat Titans: Rs. 12.90 crore

9. Punjab Kings: Rs. 11.50 crore

10. Mumbai Indians: Rs. 2.75 crore

Topics mentioned in this article

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 Cricket