The complete ipl 2026 teams and squads picture is now set — 10 franchises, 173 retained players, and a combined auction purse of ₹237.55 crore spread across one of the most competitive player pools the tournament has ever assembled. The season runs from March 28 to May 31, 2026, across 70 matches, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru entering as defending champions for the very first time in franchise history.
The retention landscape has produced a wide variance in squad depth and financial firepower. KKR enter with the heaviest purse and the leanest squad after releasing franchise icons, while MI and CSK enter with settled, experience-heavy rosters built around their retained cores. Check the IPL 2026 full schedule to map each squad’s fixture run against their personnel.
IPL 2026 Teams and Squads — All 10 Teams at a Glance
| Team | Captain | Players Retained | Purse Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 16 | ₹43.40 cr |
| Mumbai Indians | Hardik Pandya | 20 | ₹2.75 cr |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajat Patidar | 17 | ₹16.40 cr |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Pat Cummins | 15 | ₹25.50 cr |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Ajinkya Rahane | 12 | ₹64.30 cr |
| Delhi Capitals | KL Rahul | — | — |
| Gujarat Titans | Shubman Gill | — | — |
| Lucknow Super Giants | Rishabh Pant | — | — |
| Punjab Kings | TBC | 21 | — |
| Rajasthan Royals | — | — | — |
Punjab Kings retained the most players of any franchise with 21, signaling a deliberate continuity strategy after years of mid-table finishes. KKR sit at the opposite end — 12 retentions and ₹64.30 crore to spend, the largest available purse in the auction, giving them the most aggressive rebuilding capacity of any side.
This continuity-versus-rebuild tension running across the ipl 2026 teams and squads cycle is what makes this edition’s squad construction the most strategically diverse the tournament has seen.
MI’s ₹2.75 crore remaining purse tells its own story: they committed almost their entire budget to retaining 20 players, betting on squad depth and star power over auction flexibility. It is the most concentrated roster bet of the 2026 cycle.
The ipl 2026 teams and squads breakdown shows MI have made the boldest all-in retention bet of any franchise — 20 players locked in with almost no auction flexibility left.
Strong Squads — Title Contenders
Mumbai Indians Squad IPL 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya (C) | All-rounder | India |
| Rohit Sharma | Batter | India |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler | India |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter | India |
| Tilak Varma | Batter | India |
| Trent Boult | Bowler | New Zealand |
| Mitchell Santner | All-rounder | New Zealand |
| Ryan Rickelton | Batter / WK | South Africa |
| Will Jacks | All-rounder | England |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler | India |
Mumbai Indians have assembled the most complete squad in the ipl 2026 teams and squads cycle — Rohit Sharma’s batting pedigree, Bumrah’s world-class pace, and Hardik Pandya’s all-round capability give them match-winning options in every phase. Their overseas unit of Boult, Santner, Jacks, and Rickelton adds genuine international class across all three departments.
The ₹2.75 crore purse remaining reflects a franchise that has made its decisions and committed fully to this core. MI have five IPL titles — this squad, on paper, is equipped to challenge for a sixth. Rohit’s career numbers against all opposition are documented in the IPL all-time run-scorers list.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad IPL 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Rajat Patidar (C) | Batter | India |
| Virat Kohli | Batter | India |
| Phil Salt | Batter / WK | England |
| Jacob Bethell | All-rounder | England |
| Tim David | Batter | Singapore |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler | Australia |
| Romario Shepherd | All-rounder | West Indies |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler | India |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder | India |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | India |
RCB enter IPL 2026 as defending champions with Rajat Patidar taking over the captaincy from an unchanged core that delivered their maiden title in 2025. Virat Kohli, retained at ₹21 crore, remains the squad’s batting anchor — his 657 runs across the 2025 campaign were central to the championship run, as detailed in his complete IPL career stats.
The addition of Jacob Bethell gives RCB a genuine young all-round talent who can bat in the top order and contribute spin overs. With Phil Salt providing explosive powerplay hitting alongside Kohli, RCB’s top four is arguably the most balanced it has been in the franchise’s history.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad IPL 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Cummins (C) | Bowler / All-rounder | Australia |
| Travis Head | Batter | Australia |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Batter / WK | South Africa |
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter / All-rounder | India |
| Ishan Kishan | Batter / WK | India |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder | India |
| Brydon Carse | Bowler | England |
| Kamindu Mendis | All-rounder | Sri Lanka |
| Harshal Patel | Bowler | India |
SRH’s Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen combination is the most destructive opening-plus-finisher pairing in the tournament — Head’s powerplay aggression and Klaasen’s middle-overs brutality give SRH a ceiling that most sides cannot match. Pat Cummins as captain and spearhead adds international-caliber leadership to a squad that already reached the IPL 2024 final.
Their ₹25.50 crore remaining purse gives them the flexibility to address any squad gaps without compromising the retained core. SRH are a genuine title threat if their overseas unit fires consistently across the full season.
Within the full ipl 2026 teams and squads picture, SRH carry the highest ceiling — their overseas unit alone could dismantle any batting lineup in the tournament on a good day.
Rebuilt Squads — Teams Starting Fresh
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad IPL 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Ajinkya Rahane (C) | Batter | India |
| Sunil Narine | All-rounder | West Indies |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Bowler | India |
| Rinku Singh | Batter | India |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler | India |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batter | India |
| Ramandeep Singh | All-rounder | India |
| Anukul Roy | All-rounder | India |
KKR’s decision to release Andre Russell — a franchise player since 2014 — marks the most significant squad departure of the IPL 2026 cycle. The release of Shreyas Iyer alongside him signals a clean break from the players who defined their 2024 title-winning squad, and places extraordinary pressure on their ₹64.30 crore auction investment to deliver.
Retaining only 12 players is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy remain as the spin backbone, and Rinku Singh provides the finishing pedigree — but the gaps in batting depth and pace bowling are substantial and will define whether KKR’s auction spend translates into a competitive unit.
Chennai Super Kings Squad IPL 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (C) | Batter | India |
| MS Dhoni | Batter / WK | India |
| Sanju Samson | Batter / WK | India |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder | India |
| Dewald Brevis | Batter | South Africa |
| Noor Ahmad | Bowler | Afghanistan |
| Jamie Overton | All-rounder | England |
| Khaleel Ahmed | Bowler | India |
| Ayush Mhatre | Batter | India |
Sanju Samson’s move from Rajasthan Royals to CSK is the IPL 2026 transfer headline — a wicketkeeper-batter of his quality slotting into CSK’s middle order alongside Dhoni fundamentally changes their batting dimension. The pairing of two elite keeper-batters in the same lineup is an unusual tactical choice that will be closely watched.
MS Dhoni’s continued presence adds unmatched finishing pedigree and dressing room authority. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy is now entering its settled phase, and CSK’s ₹43.40 crore purse gives them meaningful room to address pace bowling depth through the auction.
IPL 2026 Teams and Squads — Remaining Five Teams
Delhi Capitals
KL Rahul leads a DC side built around Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist spin, Axar Patel’s left-arm orthodox, and a powerful overseas batting unit featuring Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, and Faf du Plessis. Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi give them genuine new-ball threat in the powerplay. DC have the bowling variety to be dangerous on any surface.
Gujarat Titans
Shubman Gill captains GT with Jos Buttler providing the explosive overseas batting presence and Kagiso Rabada anchoring the pace attack. Mohammad Siraj’s addition gives GT a proven international new-ball option, and Glenn Phillips adds all-round firepower. GT remain a well-structured side capable of a deep playoff run.
Lucknow Super Giants
Rishabh Pant takes over the captaincy at LSG — his first IPL leadership role — and brings with him the box-office batting appeal that makes LSG an instant draw. Nicholas Pooran and Wanindu Hasaranga form a potent middle-order and bowling combination, while Ayush Badoni’s domestic form makes him a key domestic option in the lineup.
Punjab Kings
PBKS retained the most players (21) of any franchise — a calculated continuity bet anchored by Arshdeep Singh’s left-arm seam and Yuzvendra Chahal’s leg-spin. Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson give them one of the deepest overseas pace units in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer’s potential captaincy arrival from KKR would add experienced leadership to a settled core.
Rajasthan Royals
RR’s identity is built around Yashasvi Jaiswal’s extraordinary left-handed batting at the top — one of the most exciting young openers in world cricket. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravichandran Ashwin give them domestic depth across batting and spin bowling, while Adam Zampa and Shimron Hetmyer provide overseas variation. Full squad details for all ten teams are available on ESPNcricinfo’s IPL 2026 squads page.
Key Storylines to Watch in IPL 2026
- RCB defending their first-ever title: No franchise has ever entered a season with more to prove — defending a maiden championship while the rest of the league targets them is an entirely new psychological challenge for this squad.
- KKR rebuilding without Russell and Iyer: Releasing two franchise pillars in the same cycle is a statement of intent — whether their ₹64.30 crore auction investment delivers a competitive squad or a chaotic rebuild will define KKR’s entire 2026 narrative.
- Of all the ipl 2026 teams and squads, KKR’s is the most difficult to evaluate — ₹64.30 crore can buy a championship-winning lineup or a disjointed collection of names depending entirely on auction execution.
- Sanju Samson at CSK — new chapter: Moving from the franchise he represented for years to play alongside Dhoni at CSK is one of the most intriguing personal storylines in the tournament, both tactically and emotionally.
- Rishabh Pant captaining LSG: India’s most instinctive cricketer taking on franchise leadership for the first time — his decision-making under pressure will be the most watched captaincy debut of the season.
- Most competitive auction balance in years: With ₹237.55 crore distributed across ten teams and no single franchise holding a runaway spending advantage, the 2026 auction has produced the most level playing field the competition has seen in recent memory. How Australia’s key players — many central to the India vs Australia head-to-head rivalry — perform against Indian opposition in the IPL context adds another layer to an already compelling season.
A Season Built on the Best Player Pool in Years
The ipl 2026 teams and squads landscape rewards close attention — the variance between KKR’s lean rebuild and MI’s loaded roster, between RCB’s championship defence and LSG’s new captain era, makes this the most narratively rich IPL in years. Track every squad update and match result through the official IPL teams page and follow ball-by-ball coverage on Cricbuzz’s IPL 2026 squads hub.