By Ankit Kumar | Updated: November 16, 2025 2:21 AM IST
Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, several teams have made significant decisions by releasing their expensive and key players. Franchises have made changes to their team composition due to the lack of performance in the previous season. Let's take a look at the star cricketers who were released by their teams. Teams can retain any number of players. Each team must have 18 to 25 players. Total spending must stay within the Rs 120-crore salary limit.
Kolkata Knight Riders acquired Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. However, his performance did not meet expectations, leading KKR to release him.
Chennai Super Kings retained Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana for ₹13 crore last year. Despite taking 47 wickets in 32 matches for CSK, he was released before IPL 2026.
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell was retained by KKR for ₹12 crore for IPL 2025. However, the franchise decided to release him before the 2026 auction, which came as a surprise to many fans.
Ravi Bishnoi, the highest wicket-taker in Lucknow Super Giants history, was retained for ₹11 crore for 2025. In the 2025 season, he took 9 wickets in 11 matches but was subsequently released by the franchise.
Delhi Capitals acquired Jake Fraser-McGurk for ₹9 crore in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. He scored only 55 runs in six matches and was released by DC on November 15.
RCB signed England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for ₹8.75 crore. However, after scoring just 112 runs in 10 matches, the team released him before the next season.
Lucknow acquired Akash Deep for ₹8 crore. He played six matches under Rishabh Pant's captaincy and managed just three wickets, after which he was also released.
LSG signed David Miller for ₹7.50 crore, but his mediocre performance of 153 runs in 11 matches led to his ouster. Meanwhile, South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was bought by KKR for ₹6.50 crore, managed just one wicket in two matches, leading to his release.