Top 5 most expensive releases ahead of IPL 2026 Auction ft. Matheesha Pathirana

The Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the retentions lists of all 10 franchises ahead of the 2026 auction on Saturday, November 15. Five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released a majority of players – 11, including four overseas players. Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were second on the list, letting go of nine players.

Meanwhile, the joint-most IPL title-winning franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI), released eight players, the majority of whom were backup players.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) released identical seven players ahead of the mini auction. Similarly, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) released six players apiece. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) released the fewest number of players – five each.

Big guns like Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell (both KKR), and Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) were released from their respective franchises.

Venkatesh Iyer (KKR) - INR 23.75 crore

It was the writing on the wall as KKR released their costliest IPL 2025 buy, Venkatesh Iyer, who they had purchased for INR 23.75 crore. The left-handed batter managed just 142 runs in 11 matches (seven innings) for the Knight Riders at an average of 20.28 and a strike rate of 139.21, including a solitary half-century. The release helped KKR save a total of 64.3 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Iyer first joined KKR in 2021. In his first five seasons, he amassed 1468 runs in 62 matches (56 innings) at a strike rate of 137.32, including a ton and 12 half-centuries. The Kolkata-based franchise might look to buy him at a lesser price in the auction.

Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) - INR 13 crore

Matheesha Pathirana was one of the biggest surprise releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. CSK bought the Sri Lankan pacer for a whopping INR 13 crore last season. The speedster picked up 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 10.13 in IPL 2025. He joined the Chennai-based franchise in 2022 and became one of the best bowlers in the death overs.

Unfortunately, Pathirana failed to weave his magic in the last two seasons. He suffered a hamstring injury in IPL 2024 before playing just six games. The 22-year-old pacer looked average with the ball in his international duty, bagging one wicket in two games at the Asia Cup 2025. Injuries have hampered his career of late.

Andre Russell (KKR) - INR 12 crore

Andre Russell was among the top retentions for KKR in IPL 2025. Like Iyer, Russell couldn’t justify his price tag of INR 12 crore. The West Indies all-rounder bagged eight wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 11.94. With the bat, he amassed 267 runs at a strike rate of 163.72 but at an average of 18.55.

Like Venkatesh Iyer, Russell was associated with the Knight Riders for a long time. The star all-rounder joined the franchise ahead of the 2014 season after a two-year stint with Delhi Capitals. With 2651 runs and 123 wickets in 140 matches, the seasoned professional is likely to be among the big names in the mini-auction. It remains to be seen whether KKR takes another bet on the 37-year-old.

Ravi Bishnoi (LSG) - INR 11 crore

Promising leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been released by the LSG ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Notably, the 25-year-old was retained by LSG for the IPL 2025 season, where he managed just nine wickets in 11 games at an economy rate of 10.83. The Super Giants first bought Bishnoi ahead of the 2022 season. He had a previous two-year stint with Punjab Kings (PBKS).

With 72 wickets in 77 IPL matches, Bishnoi is likely to be in the fray of several teams at the upcoming auction. The Super Giants might also re-buy at a lower price.

Having scalped 61 wickets in 42 T20Is, Bishnoi was seen as a promising player for India, but fell out of favor after the IPL 2025 season.

Jake Fraser-McGurk (DC) - INR 9 crore

One-season wonder, Jake Fraser-McGurk was a no-brainer release from DC ahead of IPL 2026 auction. Retained for INR 9 crore, the swashbuckling Australian batter managed just 55 runs in six matches at an underwhelming average of 9.16 and strike rate of 105.76 in the IPL 2025 season. Having said that, he amassed 330 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 234.04, including four half-centuries in his breakthrough IPL season in 2024.

Apart from DC, the Australian cricket team also dropped him after eight matches, where he managed just 115 runs at an average of 14.37 and a strike rate of 133.72, including a solitary half-century. The 23-year-old is likely to be unsold in the IPL 2025 auction unless one of the 10 teams picks him as a backup player.

Edited by James Kuanal