Lead-up to IPL 2026? Absolute mayhem, if one is being honest .. This year, the rules were wide open. No mega-auction handcuffs. Teams could keep who they wanted as long as they stayed under the 120 crore salary cap, up to 25 players. It flipped everything upside down. A few have stuck with their old guard. Others just ripped up their plans and pulled off huge, gutsy moves, cutting big names, pulling off wild trades no one saw coming.
But the real story? Those jaw-dropping trades and shock releases. Two powerhouse squads flipped upside down.
The Samson-Jadeja-Curran Mega Swap
The big headline is this: Sanju Samson, pretty much the face of Rajasthan Royals, goes to Chennai Super Kings for ₹18 crore. In return, CSK sends over two heavyweights to Rajasthan: Ravindra Jadeja at ₹14 crore and England’s Sam Curran for ₹2.4 crore. It’s a trade that blows up the script for both sides. CSK lands a young, fearless leader in Samson, while Rajasthan nabs two battle-tested all-rounders to anchor their rebuild.
IPL 2026: The Big Overhaul – Retention, Trades & Auction Purse Shake Up All 10 Squads Before Abu Dhabi Mini-Auction
It has been a wild build-up to IPL 2026. Teams scrambled to lock in their stars ahead of the retention deadline, while the trading window turned into a free-for-all. Almost out of nowhere, every squad is different-some almost unrecognizable. No mega-auction restrictions. Squads could keep as many players as they wanted, as long as they didn’t cross 25 in total and didn’t blow past the 120 crore salary cap. That freedom really shook things up.
The real buzz? The blockbuster trades and shocking releases have flipped the script for at least two powerhouse teams.
The Samson-Jadeja-Curran Mega Swap. Here’s the headline grabber: Sanju Samson, who’s basically been the face of the Rajasthan Royals, is going to the Chennai Super Kings for ₹18 crore. In return, CSK sends over two stars to Rajasthan-Ravindra Jadeja, now at ₹14 crore, and England’s Sam Curran for ₹2.4 crore. CSK gets a young, explosive leader in Samson, while Rajasthan gets two proven all-rounders to start building a new core.
Star Pacers on the Move: Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami has been traded from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants for ₹10 crore, significantly bolstering LSG‘s fast-bowling arsenal. Meanwhile, all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been traded from LSG to the Mumbai Indians for ₹2 crore, adding depth to MI’s already formidable Indian core.
High-Value Overseas Releases: The Kolkata Knight Riders made the most aggressive financial move by releasing two of their most expensive players: West Indies superstar Andre Russell (₹12 crore) and Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore). CSK, on their part, let go of a clutch of high-value internationals, headlined by pacer Matheesha Pathirana (₹13 crore), openers Devon Conway (₹6.25 crore) and Rachin Ravindra (₹4 crore), as well as all-rounder Deepak Hooda.
Punjab Kings let go of Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. With such decisions, a pool of proven match-winners will now enter the auction pool, which means there will be an intense bidding war. Auction Purse & Available Slots: KKR and CSK Lead the War Chests. The retention and trading activities have resulted in a huge imbalance in the remaining salary purses among the 10 teams.
Team Zurse Remaining Crore) Available Slots (Total) Available Overseas Slots Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 64.30, 13, 6 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 43.40, 9,4 | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 25.50 | 10 | 4 | | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 22.95 | 6 | 4 | | Delhi Capitals (DC) | 21.80 | 8 | 5 | | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 16.40 | 8 | 4 | | Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 16.05 | 9 | 1 | | Gujarat Titans (GT) | 12.90 | 5 | 4 | | Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 11.50 | 4 | 2 | | Mumbai Indians (MI) | 2.75| 5 | 4 | KKR lead the way with a record ₹ 64.30 crore to spend, placing them very well to do a complete revamp of their squad after the surprise releases of Russell and Iyer. CSK, despite the inclusion of Sanju Samson, has still managed to get the second-largest purse at ₹ 43.40 crore.
The Rajasthan Royals have managed to reshape their team through trades but find themselves with just one overseas slot to fill, which means a very targeted auction strategy is what they will have to adopt.
Full Squad Updates: Key Retentions and Strategic
A major refresh, moving away from high-priced overseas stars and key bowling assets to build a new-look team around the Indian core and new captaincy prospect, Sanju Samson. Mumbai Indians (MI) Retained core: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar. Traded In: Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande.
Strategy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Retained Core: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya. Key Releases: Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi. Strategy: Stability for the star players and targeted additions with their mid-range purse.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Retained Core: Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rovman Powell. Key Releases: Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje.
Strategy: An aggressive
The Rajasthan Royals are commonly known as RR. Retained Core: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Dhruv Jurel.
Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana.
Strategy: A complete revamp through trade, signing high-impact all-rounders and releasing their former skipper in the process. That one remaining overseas slot makes their next pick crucial.
The IPL 2026 Mini-Auction in Abu Dhabi is now set to be one of the most interesting and unpredictable in recent times. A mix of cash-heavy franchises, aiming squarely at overhauling their squads, and talent-heavy but economically strapped teams looking to pick up final pieces strategically, promises a high-stakes event.