The time has come for the biggest auction, who will be retained, whose card will be cut?:

News India Live, Digital Desk: The biggest news has arrived for cricket fans! The stage is being set for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and this time there is going to be a mega auction, i.e. a big auction of players. This means that many big players may part ways with their old teams and teams will have to rebuild their entire squads. The last date of retention is 15th November and this is the toughest time for all the team owners to decide which players to keep and whom to let go.

What are the rules of retention?

The rules of this time’s mega auction are quite interesting. All 10 teams will be allowed to retain only 4 players. This means that all other players will have to enter the auction market. Teams will have two options:

1. 3 Indian and 1 foreign player: If teams wish, they can retain three Indian and one foreign player.
2. 2 Indian and 2 foreign players: The other option is that they retain two Indian and two foreign players.

Apart from this, this time the ‘Right to Match’ (RTM) card is also making a comeback, through which teams can buy back any of their old players during the auction.

Which team will cause the most turmoil?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK): This is the biggest question for Dhoni’s team. Will MS Dhoni play next season? If yes, will the team retain him? It is almost certain that Rituraj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja will be retained. Now it remains to be seen who CSK chooses between Dhoni and Shivam Dubey.

Mumbai Indians (MI): The biggest puzzle for Mumbai is regarding Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. The decision to make Hardik the captain last season backfired. It is certain that Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav will be retained, but will Mumbai be able to retain both Rohit and Hardik? This is a big question.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): There is no bigger name than Virat Kohli for RCB. It is certain that he will be retained, but who will be the remaining three players? Will the team show confidence in Mohammad Siraj and Rajat Patidar or retain any foreign player?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): The path is not easy even for champion KKR. How will the team manage match-winning players like captain Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narayan? Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy are also in line. Taking this decision will be no less than a headache for mentor Gautam Gambhir.

By the evening of November 15, the picture will be clear as to which player will remain with his old team and which player will go to the auction. This mega auction can prove to be a change in the history of IPL.