 "IPL 2026: Retention deadline date revealed in new report, mini-auction likely in December")
The buzz around the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season has already started building, with attention now shifting to the world’s best T20 franchise tournament. A fresh report has emerged revealing the key dates for player retentions, releases, and the upcoming mini-auction.
According to Cricbuzz, two important dates for IPL 2026 are now tentatively set. As per the report, the deadline for teams to submit their retention and release list will likely be in mid-November. Meanwhile, the window for the mini-auction has reportedly been set in mid-December.
Franchise officials who have spoken to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed this to Cricbuzz. “The IPL 2026 auction is likely to be held in the second or third week of December, with December 13-15 emerging as the probable window,” the report stated.
Retention deadline and auction window
Teams are preparing to submit their list of retained and released players by November 15, which the report claimed is the most certain part of this news. The mini-auction is likely to be held between December 13 and 15.
The report further stated that the auction will likely be held in India unlike the last two auctions, which took place in Dubai and Jeddah. However, an official announcement from the IPL Governing Council is still awaited.
Teams eyeing major changes
The report revealed that teams like Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings may be eyeing big changes after finishing at the bottom of the table in IPL 2025. CSK could release players like Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Sam Curran, and Devon Conway to free up funds and squad space. The franchise will also add Rs 9.75 crore to its purse following the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin.
RR, on the other hand, could trade captain Sanju Samson, though nothing has been confirmed yet. Discussions around players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have also surfaced, but the report suggests that the return of Kumar Sangakkara as head coach could put a hold on those decisions.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are also expected to make a few changes, with Venkatesh Iyer likely to be released after a poor show last season. He was the third most expensive player sold in last year’s auction. Mitchell Starc of Delhi Capitals, Mayank Yadav and Akash Deep of Lucknow Super Giants are also likely to be released.
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