All Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have finalised their player retentions and releases ahead of next month's mega auction in Abu Dhabi. Strategic releases serve a dual purpose: expanding the team's available budget while creating opportunities to strengthen squads with new talent. The resulting purse sizes vary dramatically—from Kolkata Knight Riders leading with ₹64.30 crore to Mumbai Indians working with just ₹2.75 crore—reflecting each franchise's retention strategy and their ambitions or the auction
 

Chennai Super Kings – ₹43.40 crore

With MS Dhoni likely to be retained as an uncapped player, CSK enter the mega auction with a healthy ₹43.40 crore purse and presumably 3-4 RTM cards. After releasing Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana (among others), the five-time champions have only a handful of locked-in names. This sizable purse gives them flexibility to rebuild around Dhoni’s leadership while targeting a core of proven match-winners and young Indian talent.

Mumbai Indians – ₹2.75 crore

The joint-lowest purse in IPL 2026 belongs to Mumbai Indians. Having retained their core five – Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma – for a whopping ₹97+ crore, MI are left with just ₹2.75 crore and one RTM. They will enter the auction almost as a finished squad, able to add only 2-3 low-cost domestic players or overseas backups.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru – ₹16.40 crore

After years of near-misses, RCB have finally retained their dream trio of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal, leaving them ₹16.40 crore in the kitty. With only three retentions, they have multiple RTMs and slots to address chronic holes – death bowling, quality Indian middle-order and a reliable overseas all-rounder – while possibly chasing a marquee spinner and a power-hitter to end their trophy drought.

Kolkata Knight Riders – ₹64.30 crore

The defending champions head into the auction with the fattest purse – ₹64.30 crore. KKR shocked everyone by retaining six players. This massive war chest allows them to completely reshape the squad, potentially going big on Indian capped stars and overseas finishers to build another title-contending unit.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – ₹25.50 crore

SRH kept faith in their 2024 core – Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins and Nitish Reddy – spending heavily on retentions. With ₹25.50 crore remaining, they still have room to strengthen the Indian middle order, add a quality wrist-spinner and possibly another death bowler. A balanced purse that lets them chase both marquee and value picks.

Gujarat Titans – ₹12.90 crore

Having locked in Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler and Mohammed Siraj early, Gujarat Titans have the second-smallest purse at ₹12.90 crore. Similar to Mumbai, they will largely watch the auction from the sidelines, using whatever RTM options remain to plug minor gaps in the lower middle order and Indian pace backup.

Rajasthan Royals – ₹16.05 crore

RR retained their backbone – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel and Sandeep Sharma – leaving ₹16.05 crore. They need a proper overseas pace spearhead, a quality Indian seamer and possibly another top-order batsman. A modest but workable purse for a franchise that traditionally excels at unearthing gems.

Delhi Capitals – ₹21.80 crore

Delhi went big on Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel as their four retentions, giving them ₹21.80 crore plus RTM cards. The franchise still needs an Indian captaincy option, overseas quicks and finishers. With new coach Ponting and advisors Ganguly-Kumble, expect aggressive bidding for high-impact Indian and overseas stars.

Lucknow Super Giants – ₹22.95 crore

After retaining Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav and Ayush Badoni, LSG have ₹22.95 crore to play with. Key areas to address: top-order Indian batsman, a proven overseas opener, all-round depth and possibly a senior wicket-keeper batsman. A decent purse that keeps them in the hunt for most marquee names.

Punjab Kings – ₹11.50 crore

The lowest purse among teams that didn’t max out retentions. PBKS surprisingly retained only two uncapped Indians – Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh – leaving them ₹11.50 crore and maximum slots. They have the opportunity (and necessity) to completely overhaul the squad and finally build a balanced unit after years of mid-table finishes.