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IPL 2026 mini-auction looms in December, franchises to decide who stays or goes with retention deadline set for...
With roughly two months remaining before the auction, franchises face another challenging task of deciding which players to retain and which to release.
The auction for the upcoming Indian Premier League season is expected to take place in December. Unlike last year’s mega auction, this edition will feature a smaller, mini-auction format with a concise ceremony. A report has emerged on Cricbuzz stating that the mini-auction will likely be held around December 15, with 13-14 emerging as the window for the ceremony. The BCCI has yet to take a final decision on the date, but the report claimed that a franchise official has informed them about the window after talking with BCCI authorities. It will be interesting to see whether the board will take the overseas route for the auction, like the last couple of years, or stage it in India this time.
With roughly two months remaining before the auction, franchises face another challenging task of deciding which players to retain and which to release. They must carefully shape their squads ahead of the upcoming IPL season, as the retention deadline will be around November 15. The bottom four franchises will look to reshape their franchise after an underwhelming season last year.
The rumours are already going around that Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will look to release the flop stars from their last season. CSK could part ways with Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Sam Curran, and Devon Conway as they look to revamp their squad and inject fresh, explosive talent for the upcoming season.
Sanju Samson's RR future under the scanner
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are another franchise that has been in the news for the past couple of months, with uncertainty over Sanju Samson's future with them. The RR captain has been heavily linked to a trade move with a couple of franchises. Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara will return to Rajasthan Royals to lead the coaching staff after the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach. According to ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who has been RR's Director of Cricket since 2021, is set to fill the void left by Dravid's departure, and has already started planning for the 2026 season. Since joining RR in 2021, Sangakkara has doubled up as the head coach, and the Sanju Samson-led franchise made the playoffs twice in four seasons under his watch.
Meanwhile, Cameron Green will be one player who is expected to break the bank in the mini-auction after missing the last season due to injury. The Aussie all-rounder has represented Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the past.
