IPL 2026: Big-ticket players released by franchises
What's the story
All 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises submitted their final list of retained and released players on the November 15 deadline. Chennai Super Kings, who acquired Sanju Samson in a record trade deal, released 11 players. While Kolkata Knight Riders ended their decade-long association with Andre Russell, Punjab Kings parted ways with Glenn Maxwell. Here are the big-ticket players released by the franchises.
#1
KKR end 11-year association with Russell
The exit of star all-rounder Russell from KKR will be a talking point for days to come. The release of Russell, who had been part of KKR's core group, frees up ₹12 crore for the franchise. Despite striking at 163.72, he smashed 167 runs from 10 innings in IPL 2025. He also took eight wickets. Russell powered KKR to two titles (2014 and 2024
#2
PBKS release Maxwell after re-signing him
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have parted ways with Maxwell, who was re-signed by the franchise for ₹4.2 crore last year. Maxwell had re-entered the Kings' roster after spending four seasons with Royal Challengers Benglauru. In IPL 2025, the Aussie dasher scored just 48 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 97.95. He hit a solitary maximum in the season.
#3
DC snub Faf du Plessis
Delhi Capitals have released Faf du Plessis, one of the most experienced players in T20 cricket. Du Plessis has 11,906 runs from 424 T20s at a strike rate of 137.07 (8 tons). Despite turning 41, the former South African captain is among the fittest players. However, he scored 202 runs from nine matches at a strike rate of 123.92 for DC in 2025.
#4
Venkatesh Iyer also among released KKR players
Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer scripted history by bagging a ₹23.75 crore deal with KKR in the 2025 mega auction. He couldn't justify the price tag, scoring 142 runs from 11 games at 20.28. Iyer, who can strike big, scored 370 and 404 runs in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Perhaps the Knight Riders will buy him back at a lower price at the impending auction.
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Other big guns released
The other big-ticket players released by the franchises ahead of the IPL 2026 auction are Liam Livingstone (RCB), Lungi Ngidi (RCB), Devon Conway (CSK), Matheesha Pathirana (CSK), Anrich Nortje (KKR), Quinton de Kock (KKR), Adam Zampa (SRH), and Wiaan Mulder (SRH).