IPL 2027 retention: deadline, rules & team-by-team picture
All ten franchises must hand in their retained and released lists by Tuesday, 17 November 2026. The BCCI moved the cut-off two days, from 15 November, because the original date clashed with the fifth ODI between India and New Zealand.
The rules for a mini-auction year
- No fixed retention limit. The 2025 mega auction capped retentions at six (retain or Right to Match). In a mini-auction year a team can keep as many contracted players as it wants.
- No Right to Match card. A released player can only return by being bought back at the auction, outbidding every other team.
- Squad limits still apply: a maximum of 25 players, no more than eight of them from overseas.
- Money: the total salary cap rises to ₹157 crore for 2027 (from ₹151 crore in 2026 and ₹146 crore in 2025). It covers auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. Every released contract frees space under that cap.
- Match fee: each playing member, including the Impact Player, earns ₹7.5 lakh per match on top of his contract.
- Withdrawals: a player who is bought at auction and then pulls out before the season is banned from the IPL and its auctions for two seasons.
Where each team stands before 17 November
Trades already completed count as part of each squad. A traded player keeps the fee agreed in the trade and does not go through the auction.
| Team | 2026 league finish | 2027 coach | Traded in | Traded out | Team page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 8th (12 pts) | Zaheer Khan new | Liam Livingstone Jack Edwards | Khaleel Ahmed Nathan Ellis | CSK plan |
| Delhi Capitals | 6th (14 pts) | Sourav Ganguly new | Rishabh Pant Zeeshan Ansari | Kuldeep Yadav T Natarajan | DC plan |
| Gujarat Titans | 2nd (18 pts) | Ashish Nehra | – | – | GT plan |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 7th (13 pts) | Abhishek Nayar | – | – | KKR plan |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 10th (8 pts) | Justin Langer | Kuldeep Yadav | Rishabh Pant | LSG plan |
| Mumbai Indians | 9th (8 pts) | Kieron Pollard new | Arshdeep Singh | Hardik Pandya | MI plan |
| Punjab Kings | 5th (15 pts) | Ricky Ponting | Hardik Pandya | Arshdeep Singh | PBKS plan |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1st (18 pts) | Andy Flower | – | – | RCB plan |
| Rajasthan Royals | 4th (16 pts) | Kumar Sangakkara | – | – | RR plan |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3rd (18 pts) | Daniel Vettori | T Natarajan Khaleel Ahmed Nathan Ellis | Zeeshan Ansari Liam Livingstone Jack Edwards | SRH plan |
Why 2026 form matters for the lists
The number of players each team used in 2026 shows how settled its XI was. Mumbai Indians fielded 24 different players while finishing ninth; Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the title with 16.
Ajinkya Rahane has already left
Ajinkya Rahane retired on 30 July 2026, aged 38. He played 14 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2026 and scored 335 runs at a strike rate of 135.1.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 Nov 2026 | BCCI moves the retention deadline from 15 to 17 November |
| 5 Nov 2026 | CSK and SRH complete a four-player trade |
| 11 Nov 2026 | Hardik Pandya (MI to PBKS) and Arshdeep Singh (PBKS to MI) trade confirmed |
| 17 Nov 2026 | Retention and release lists due from all ten franchises |
| 15 Dec 2026 | Auction briefing for franchises in Goa |
| 16 Dec 2026 | IPL 2027 mini auction in Goa |
Released players can enter the 16 December auction, where any team, including the one that let them go, can bid for them.