The Indian Premier League is the biggest cricket league in India. Every year, teams get new players. But they can also keep their best players from the last year. This is called retention. Many people ask “how many players retained IPL?” and “what is the maximum retention IPL?” Here at Indibet app, you will get to know more about IPL updates, stats, reports, players and much more.
What is Player Retention?
Player retention means a team keeps their good players for the next season. Instead of losing their best players in the auction, teams can keep them. This helps teams keep their strong squad together.
How Many Players Can Be Retained in IPL?
The allowed retention IPL depends on when the auction happens. Let me explain both types of auctions.
For Mini Auction (Like IPL 2026)
There is no limit on how many players a team can retain. Teams can keep as many players as they want. But they have one rule: their total squad cannot have more than 25 players. Also, they must not spend more than 120 crore rupees on all their players.
In IPL 2026, teams retained 173 players total. Punjab Kings kept the most players with 21 players. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans retained 20 players each.
For Mega Auction (Like IPL 2025)
During mega auctions, teams can retain a maximum of 6 players. But there are some rules. A team can only keep 5 foreign players as capped internationals. They can also keep 2 uncapped Indian players.
Money Spent on Retentions
When teams retain players, they must spend money. Each team gets 120 crore rupees to build their squad. Retaining good players costs a lot of money.
For mega auctions, the cost of retaining is:
- First player: 18 crore rupees
- Second player: 14 crore rupees
- Third player: 11 crore rupees
- Fourth player: 18 crore rupees
- Fifth player: 14 crore rupees
IPL 2026 Retained Players List
Here is a table showing which teams kept how many players:
| Team | Players Retained | Money Spent (Crore) |
| Punjab Kings | 21 | ₹113.50 |
| Mumbai Indians | 20 | ₹122.25 |
| Gujarat Titans | 20 | ₹112.10 |
| Delhi Capitals | 17 | ₹103.20 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 17 | ₹108.60 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 19 | ₹102.05 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 16 | ₹108.95 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 16 | ₹81.60 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 15 | ₹99.50 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | ₹60.70 |
IPL 2026 Released Players List
Not all players are retained. Some teams let their players go. These are called released players. Here is the list of top released players from IPL 2026:
| Team | Released Players |
| Chennai Super Kings | Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra |
| Delhi Capitals | Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sediqullah Atal |
| Gujarat Titans | Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Karim Janat |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock |
| Lucknow Super Giants | David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph |
| Mumbai Indians | Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams |
| Punjab Kings | Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie |
| Rajasthan Royals | Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Liam Livingstone, Lungisani Ngidi, Mayank Agarwal |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Adam Zampa, Wiaan Mulder, Abhinav Manohar |
Why Do Teams Release Players?
Teams release players for many reasons. Sometimes players are too expensive. Sometimes they want to buy new players in the auction. Sometimes a team wants to try new players. Released players can then join any other team in the auction.
Right to Match Card (RTM)
There is another way teams can get their players back. It is called the Right to Match card or RTM. If a team retains only some players, they get RTM cards for the auction. If they use this card, they can bring back their released player from the auction.
How to Watch IPL and Bet on It?
You can watch all IPL matches on TV or online. You can also check the latest news about players and retention on Indibet. It is a popular app where you can see cricket news and updates. Many people use the Indibet app to stay updated with IPL news and player information. It makes easy to follow all the retention and release news. You can also check how many players retained IPL on websites that show cricket news. These sites give you updates about maximum retention IPL and allowed retention IPL rules.