IPL 2026 Retention: Stunning trades, star departures and end of big eras no one saw coming

The retention deadline for the upcoming season of the IPL slammed shut on Saturday afternoon and as expected, it threw up plenty of surprises. Some teams opted against a major shake-up, instead prioritizing what they already have. But some did make wholesale changes, while also indulging in high-profile trades.

All of which means there are several talking points to dissect. So, without further ado, let’s dive into them.

A trade deal for the ages

The deal that has sent shockwaves through the IPL landscape. Ravindra Jadeja, often pictured only wearing yellow and wearing that CSK jersey, will no longer turn out for them . And Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals until earlier this year, will now play for the five-time champions. Both of them are now embarking on new adventures, hoping to conquer newer frontiers.

It remains to be seen if Jadeja is handed the reins at RR. If that happens, though, he will have a shot at redemption, few years on from an indifferent captaincy experience at CSK. It is also revealing that Jadeja has been traded for Rs 14 crore, as opposed to Rs 18 crore, perhaps indicating that RR and the player himself, do not envision Jadeja continuing for very long. Or that he, as a leader, has already taken a pay cut to ensure RR have more elbow room at the auction table.

For Samson, this is his chance to prove he can be a top-billing player for a top-billing side, and become a household name at a franchise that has won plenty of titles. Potential, talent, sumptuous but inconsistent stroke-play – these terms have been thrown around a lot whenever speaking of Samson. Now, he will want to add IPL trophies to that particular dictionary.

Matheesha Pathirana slings into the auction

Two years ago, this would have been unimaginable. Pathirana had just played a pivotal role in CSK’s ascension to the top in 2023, and he was receiving glowing reviews from MS Dhoni (the captain then). But a lot has changed since.

CSK have not exactly stopped loving Pathirana. But they seem to have made a tactical/financial call – that they can perhaps bag him for lower than the price they retained him for. Which is not entirely unreasonable, given Pathirana has been injury-prone in the recent past. A slight tweak to his action (release point in particular) has left him more susceptible to niggles, which has consequently led to his impact dwindling.

At 22 years of age, Pathirana has all the time in the world to recapture his place among the very best death-bowlers in the shortest format. But for the moment, there is a little uncertainty around who he might represent in the 2026 edition, and that, more than anything else, is what may have caught everyone off-guard.

Nitish Rana’s homecoming and a Capital trade for Delhi

Rana may not have delivered as much on his early promise as expected, but there is no doubting that he is a gun top-order batter in the IPL. The Royals reaped those benefits to an extent earlier this year, with Rana playing a few impactful knocks. But they have, obviously, decided they could do without him, with DC jumping at the chance to sign him.

DC were lacking a number three batter capable of upping the ante from the outset. Karun Nair, at times, did that last season but Rana, purely in terms of IPL pedigree, is an upgrade.

This leaves DC with lesser holes to plug. And with this trade having materialized, they can enter the auction knowing exactly what they want. Even if it has meant that Donovan Ferreira, hitting the ball as well as anyone and as well as he has ever done, but still a relatively unproven commodity in the IPL, has gone the other way.

Mohammed Shami reunited with Uttar Pradesh and Bharat Arun

This may not exactly be a homecoming in IPL nomenclature, with Shami having never played for the Lucknow Super Giants. But this is the state he hails from, and in Bharat Arun (LSG’s bowling coach), Shami has a familiar face to bounce ideas off.

That, at a time when Shami is longing to reiterate what he can still provide, may be the tonic he needs. He will also have very fond memories of LSG’s home venue, having tormented Ben Stokes in an ODI World Cup game in 2023.

Shami has fallen down the pecking order - of that there is little doubt. There are rumblings that he may be incapable of producing such performances anymore too. But maybe, just maybe, a return to Lucknow will rekindle the fire people may have forgotten Shami has always had.

Cut your losses ft. Kolkata Knight Riders & Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh’s release does not come as a big surprise. That is not a blot on him as a player, but he just had too hefty a price tag to justify. He needed to put together a world-class campaign to repay the money KKR spent on him. KKR may have looked at him as a captaincy candidate at that juncture, but that did not come to pass either.

Venkatesh might find his way back to the franchise he represented earlier this year, but his stock seems to have fallen enough to suggest he may not command the sort of fee he did prior to the 2025 edition.

And if a team spending Rs 23.75 crore on an Indian all-rounder who is currently not in the national scheme of things made the news, that same side releasing him after just a year, even if they might try to get him back for a lower fee, is definitely news-worthy.

Josh Inglis released, but why?!

The sub-heading says more than a paragraph or two ever could. But let’s give it a try anyway.

Inglis, at this point, is one of the most complete T20 batters on the planet. He can smash spin, he can take down pace, and he can play all across the dial. 278 runs at an average of more than 30 and at a strike rate greater than 160 should have made it a no-brainer for the Punjab Kings to retain him, especially at Rs 2.6 crore. Even if Inglis, as Ricky Ponting (PBKS head coach) suggested post the deadline, was expected to miss a “majority of the season”.

Apparently not.

Recent performances over reputation – Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell edition

If you were to ever sit down and make an all-time T20 eleven, chances are that Maxwell and Russell would both feature. One is a spin-bowling all-rounder, the other is a pace-bowling all-rounder, and both can give the ball an absolute whack.

For most of their IPL careers, they have done so; Russell, perhaps a little more consistent than his Australian counterpart. But Maxwell, during his stint at RCB, did replicate the sort of carnage he has become synonymous with on the international stage.

Neither, though, set the world alight in the 2025 edition. Maxwell had an underwhelming campaign before being ruled out due to injury. Russell played a lot more, but his performances were far from satisfactory. And while most teams in the IPL would want to have these two in their squad, just because of their sheer match-winning ability, KKR and the Punjab Kings have decided that they have had enough, especially at their respective price points.

The way the cricketing cookie crumbles, and considering these are two champion cricketers, do not rule out a renaissance that might make these franchises look unwise. But for now, neither has a team to call their own. Maxwell may have become accustomed to that over the years owing to his franchise-hopping; Russell, not quite.