England national cricket team all-rounders Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks, as well as Indian national cricket team all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, are among the big cuts ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction.
Venkatesh Iyer released after a terrible IPL 2025
Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer started his journey in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on a sensational note as he played a key role in the team reaching the finals in 2021.
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Since then, he received tremendous support from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management, and after being released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, he was roped in by the franchise for INR 23.75 crore.
Iyer was appointed as the vice-captain of the side, but he looked miserable in the 2025 Indian Premier League, scoring just 142 runs at an average of 20.28. According to a report in Cricbuzz, he is now all set to be released.
Along with Iyer, the three-time Indian Premier League champions have decided to release Proteas duo Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje as they aim to enter the auction with a purse of INR 35 to 40 crore, with which they can target Cameron Green.
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane is all set to remain captain after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) failed to secure a trade for KL Rahul from Delhi Capitals (DC).
Talking about the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), they are on the verge of releasing Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar and Jamie Overton, along with trading Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals for Sanju Samson.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will part ways with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka.
Heinrich Klaasen is retained by SRH
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the auction was whether Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will retain Heinrich Klaasen. However, now the same report has clarified that the 2016 IPL champions will keep him in the squad for INR 23 crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have decided to trade Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to free up some cash. LSG have also traded Shardul Thakur to Mumbai Indians (MI) and acquired Arjun Tendulkar while retaining Mayank Yadav.
However, the Rishabh Pant-led franchise will cast David Miller, Akash Deep and Shamar Joseph. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will most likely release Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Blessing Muzarabani, Rasikh Dar and Yash Dayal, while Mumbai Indians (MI) will release Will Jacks. Interestingly, Mumbai Indians (MI) have also traded in Mayank Markande.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will release Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Hardie, while Delhi Capitals will part ways with T Natarajan and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
List of players released by 8 IPL teams:
| Team | Player(s) will be released (as reported by Cricbuzz) |
| C.S.K | Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton |
| MI | Will Jacks |
| RCB | Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Blessing Muzarabani, Rasikh Dar |
| KKR | Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje |
| LSG | Ravi Bishnoi, David Miller, Akash Deep, Shamar Joseph |
| direct current | T Natarajan, Jake Fraser-McGurk |
| BKS | Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie |
| RR | Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka |
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