It’s ‘Deadline Day’ for all franchises to confirm their retentions and finalise any trade deals ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Here’s all the news and updates as it happens…
Gujarat Titans offload Shanka, four others
Gujarat Titans have off-loaded five players: Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gerald Coetzee, Kulwant Khejroliya apart from Dasun Shanka. Shanka is the biggest name from that release, having led Sri Lanka in the past. Sherfane Rutherford has already been traded to MI.
SRH de-roster Zampa and Rahul Chahar
Sunrisers Hyderabad may well be getting rid of two leg-spinners – Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar. With the retention deadline approaching its end, Cricbuzz understands that the Pat Cummins-led side has moved on from Zampa, bought for Rs 2.4 crore last year, and Chahar, a Rs 3.2 crore acquisition. Zampa played only two games last season, picking up two wickets, while Chahar featured in just one match. The 2016 champions have already traded Mohammed Shami to Lucknow SuperGiants.
PBKS dispense with Josh Inglis
Cricbuzz can confirm that Josh Inglis, a 30-year-old keeper-batter who was a Rs 2.5 crore buy last year, will be let go by Punjab Kings. The Shreyas Iyer-led side has decided to move on from the Australian who had featured in 11 games last season. He had scored 278 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 162, with a highest score of 73.
The Yorkshire-born Australian international was a hero for Punjab Kings in a league fixture, helping the Ricky Ponting-coached side secure a top-two finish with a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.
Apart from Inglis, PBKS are set to release Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Praveen Dubey and Kuldeep Sen. Vishnu Vinod was initially marked for the release, but the management appears to have opted to let go of Kuldeep instead.
Matheesha Pathirana set to be released by CSK
After trading away Ravindra Jadeja, CSK are likely to release another of their retentions ahead of last year’s mega auction – Matheesha Pathirana. The Sri Lankan slinger was retained by the five-time winners for INR 13 crores. But he has been beset by injury problems that has also forced him to rethink his bowling action and cost him some of his effectiveness. He played 12 games in IPL 2025 and took 13 wickets at an economy of 10.14.
CSK could yet buy him back in the auction at a lower price. Even if not, they have Nathan Ellis in their squad to cover for that overseas seamer position.
‘Coming back feels special’ – Ravindra Jadeja
“Rajasthan Royals gave me my first platform and my first taste of victory,” said Ravindra Jadeja. “Coming back feels special – it’s not just a team for me, it’s home. Rajasthan Royals is where I won my first IPL, and I hope to win more with this current group of players.”
“Jadeja coming back to the Royals is incredibly special for all of us. He understands the franchise and the fans, having been part of RR’s IPL-winning campaign, said Kumar Sangakkara, Director of Cricket Rajasthan Royals. “Over the years he has grown into a player who can influence the game in every department.
“His experience, composure, and competitive edge will add immense value to our group. Sam brings a different but equally important dimension. He’s fearless, adaptable, and thrives in pressure situations with both bat and ball. Together, Jadeja and Sam give us balance, leadership, and the kind of match-winning depth we want as we build for the future.”
‘Sanju was family’ – Manoj Badale, RR owner
“Sanju was with us at trials when he was just 17 years old, went on to become one of our youngest captains of RR and since then, he has been an integral part of the Royals family for more than a decade, continuing to inspire everyone around him,” said Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals.
“His chapter with us has been one of belief, brilliance, and heart. Sanju has been an exceptional ambassador of our values, and we thank him for everything he has done for the Royals family.”
Jadeja moves to RR at a cut price of INR 14 crores
While the general terms of this mega trade between CSK-RR has been known for a while, here’s a fineprint that may have been missed. Ravindra Jadeja’s league fee has been revised from INR 18 crores to INR 14 crores.
Sanju Samson and Sam Curran will hold on to their league fees of INR 18 crore and INR 2.4 crore respectively.
Faf du Plessis was signed for INR 2 crore last year.
DC set to release Du Plessis, Brook and Mohit Sharma
Delhi Capitals are set to release Faf du Plessis. The 154-match IPL veteran, who has represented multiple franchises including Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), had a rather underwhelming season last year, managing only 202 runs in nine games. He also admitted that he was not up to the mark.
The 41-year-old veteran captained Delhi Capitals in a couple of games when regular skipper Axar Patel was unavailable. He had previously captained RCB. He was bought for Rs 2 crore.
Along with du Plessis, DC will also release Harry Brook, who was bought for Rs 6.25 crore. But the England white-ball skipper did not show up last year and may be facing sanctions from the IPL. DC will also release Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mohit Sharma. As per the team’s sources, T. Natarajan is expected to be retained.
Conway bids goodbye to CSK
As has been reported over the last couple of days, CSK will also release Devon Conway, their Player of the Match from that epic 2023 final. Conway has put out a thank you tweet to CSK fans, expressing his gratitude for three years of support
KKR to release Moeen and Gurbaz
Apart from the already reported, Kolkata Knight Riders will part with English all-rounder Moeen Ali (Rs 2 crore), keeper-batters Luvnith Sisodia (Rs 30 lakh) and Afghan keeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Rs 2 crore) and Chetan Sakariya. Sakariya went unsold at the mega auction but was brought in as a replacement for Umran Malik last year. We have already reported that Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 23.75 crore), Quinton de Kock (Rs 3.6 crore) and Anrich Nortje (Rs 6.5 crore) are being released.
A curious aspect of the KKR releases is that will have let go of all their keeper-batters – de Kock, Gurbaz and Sisodia. Who could they be targeting at the auction? We can confirm that the much-speculated trade for KL Rahul is not happening. Delhi Capitals are learnt to have informed the KKR management that they won’t release the star batter.
Mayank Markande returns to Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians have said Mayank Markande has been traded to Mumbai Indians from Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2026.
An MI release said, “Mayank Markande, returns to the Blue and Gold where he had an excellent debut game and season, taking a 3-wicket haul and was part of the 2019 title winning season. Markande brings to the team a crucial element of unpredictability, using his variations in pace and maintain pressure and offers a potent, aggressive spin option capable of adapting to different pitch conditions.”
Mumbai Indians bid farewell to Arjun Tendulkar
… who has moved to LSG in search of more game time. “Thank you, Arjun for being a valued member of the Mumbai Indians family,” a social media post read.
“Everyone at MI wishes you the very best for the next chapter of your journey with Lucknow Super Giants. We are proud to have been a part of your development and look forward to seeing you continue to grow and get opportunities to make your mark”
Quick refresher before we get going on Deadline Day?
We have you covered in this comprehensive piece. This and your morning coffee should sort you out.
