Player retention strategies: Which IPL stars are on the chopping block before the auction?

With the Indian Premier League retention deadline approaching on November 15, all franchises are looking to finalise their list of retained players for the 2026 season.

Unlike previous years, there’s no limit on the retention of capped and uncapped Indian players, as well as overseas players. However, all franchises are required to adhere to the squad size (maximum 25 players) and salary cap (INR 120 crore) to ensure fair play. The IPL mini-auction is most likely scheduled for December 15.

There has been news of recent trades also taking place among a few franchises, with big news breaking about the Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran of the Chennai Super Kings, though that is a separate discussion.

Here, we talk about the ten IPL players whom we believe may be released by their respective franchises with the aim of reducing the wage bill and building a well-balanced squad for the upcoming season.

Note: All stats mentioned here have been sourced from www.iplt20.com.

Venkatesh Iyer | Kolkata Knight Riders

Venkatesh Iyer was bought by KKR for a whopping INR 23.75 crore in the IPL mega-auction. This was a huge rise from his INR 8-crore price tag in the previous seasons and seemed like a massive gamble for the all-rounder who had had just two good seasons.

Iyer underperformed massively in the IPL earlier this year. In 11 games, he scored a meagre 142 runs at an average of 20.29. He wasn’t even trusted with the ball by the KKR captain, Ajinkya Rahane. 

Iyer proved to be a costly mistake for the Knight Riders, which also hurt their chances of building a well-balanced squad, so it’s likely they choose to part ways with the 30-year-old to free up the purse for some good buys in the mini-auction. 

Heinrich Klaasen | SunRisers Hyderabad

The SunRisers Hyderabad retained this explosive South African wicketkeeper-batter for a massive INR 23 crore in the IPL Mega-Auction for his match-winning ability in the lower-middle order.

Klaasen didn’t really disappoint with the bat either, scoring 487 runs in 13 games with an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 172.70, also registering a century. However, SRH already have a strong batting line-up ahead of him, featuring batters capable of scoring at a high rate to both put up huge totals and chase down big targets.

So, the SunRisers may look to offload Klaasen to free up their wage bill in favour of all-rounders and bowlers to strike a title-winning combination.

Glenn Phillips | Gujarat Titans

Kiwi batter Glenn Phillips may also be released by the Gujarat Titans ahead of the mini-auction. Phillips was brought in by GT on the premise that he was an explosive middle-order batter and an exceptional fielder. He went unsold in the first round, but GT bought him for a decent INR 2 crore in the accelerated round. However, Phillips didn’t play much, as a groin injury sustained during a game against SRH ruled him out for the season. 

Hence, GT may look to part ways with the Kiwi hard-hitter to find other options and address the gaps in the squad. 

Mayank Yadav | Lucknow Super Giants

Talented young pacer Mayank Yadav took the cricket world by storm during the 2024 IPL season with his wily pace and impressive bowling. Based on his performances, he was rewarded by the Lucknow Super Giants with a bumper INR 11-crore package, which was a massive upgrade from his base price of INR 20 lakh in 2022.

However, injury issues kept the youngster out almost the entire season, and he struggled to perform. In the two games he played, Yadav conceded 100 runs with an economy rate of 12.50, only taking two wickets.

Due to his unavailability and injury-prone nature, the 23-year-old may move on from the young pacer and free up the funds to get in reinforcements.

Shimron Hetmyer | Rajasthan Royals

Guyanese explosive finisher Shimron Hetmyer was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL mega-auction for an enormous sum of INR 11 crore, having proved his worth in the earlier seasons.

Much was expected from such a big-money signing but Hetmyer disappointed with inconsistent performances and could only amass 239 runs in 14 games with an average of 21.73. Though his strike rate was decent at 145.73, he couldn’t help his team make the play-offs.

Hence, it feels like RR may choose to part ways with the left-hander and bring in players that can help the team perform better.

Thangarasu Natarajan | Delhi Capitals

Tamil Nadu-based pacer T Natarajan was a revelation at the SunRisers Hyderabad and impressed one and all with his ability to bowl consistent yorkers at the death and take wickets. 2024 was his best season in the IPL, where he took 19 wickets to help SRH reach the final.

Looking at his ability, the Delhi Capitals went for Natarajan in the mega-auction ahead of the 2025 season, securing his services for a massive fee of INR 10.75 crore. 

However, due to consistent injury issues, Natarajan couldn’t be available for selection and ended up playing only one game all season, where his lack of game time showed as he conceded 49 runs in four overs without taking a wicket.

There’s no doubt that Natarajan is a fine T20 bowler, but his injury-prone nature could force DC to release him and get in players who can play more games. 

Liam Livingstone | Royal Challengers Bengaluru

All-rounder Liam Livingstone’s hitting ability is second to none. When on song, the Englishman can be a match-winning asset. He is also a decent part-timer with the ball and can get you wickets with his intelligent bowling. However, it’s the lack of consistency that has really been his weakness.

Due to his all-round abilities, RCB splurged INR 8.75 crore on Livingstone, and even though they finally ended their long wait for the IPL trophy this year, Livingstone’s contributions were negligible with both bat and ball. In the ten matches he played, the 32-year-old amassed a total of 112 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 133.33, numbers that are in no way representative of his ability. Even with the ball, he took only two wickets in these ten games. 

Hence, it feels like this association may be ended by the Royal Challengers. With the funds freed up, they could look at cheaper all-round options who will be more likely to justify their price tags. 

Deepak Chahar | Mumbai Indians

Deepak Chahar is another story of a talented player whose body isn’t fit enough to sustain a season. Chahar came into the limelight under MS Dhoni’s leadership at CSK, where he spent seven long years. He was Dhoni’s go-to strike bowler in the Powerplay and often picked up big wickets. He is also a decent batter and even received a call-up for Team India in the ODI format.

MI paid a whopping INR 9.75 crore for the Indian pacer, but even though Chahar stayed fit last season, he couldn’t perform for them as expected. In the 14 games he played, he took 11 wickets, giving away 376 runs with a high economy rate of 9.17.

The 33-year-old has been very inconsistent with his performances, and unfortunately it doesn’t look like his fitness is very reliable either. Hence, MI may look to release him and use the freed-up money wisely to build a well-balanced squad for the new season.

Devon Conway | Chennai Super Kings

New Zealand opener Devon Conway is a top-class batter who helped CSK win the 2023 IPL title. He was the highest run-getter that season, and the Super Kings trusted him to continue in the opening slot going into the 2025 IPL season, retaining him for INR 6.25 crore.

However, CSK couldn’t get going in 2025, and both the team and the player struggled to perform. Conway was dropped after six games, in which he could only manage 156 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 131.09.

With CSK trying to get Sanju Samson, who is also a proven opener in the IPL, Conway could be released by the franchise, and reinforcements could be brought in to bolster the squad.

Glenn Maxwell | Punjab Kings

Glenn Maxwell is an enigma of a player. On his day, the Aussie is a match-winner who can single-handedly win you games, while on others he just looks average. If he were consistent, he would have undeniably been one of the best players in the world. He is also one of the best fielders in world cricket.

Hopping from one IPL team to another hasn’t helped the 37-year-old, who has been struggling with both performance and availability issues. Last season, the Punjab Kings secured his services for a decent price of INR 4.2 crore, but an unfortunate finger injury ruled him out for the entire season.

It looks likely that PBKS will not retain Maxwell and choose to replace him with a young talent or a proven IPL performer who could bridge some gaps in the PBKS squad.