Check the Complete List of Chennai Super Kings Retentions and Releases

Due to this reason, the Chennai Super Kings had gone through a number of changes for the next season. This retention and release list of the team could shock the fans and even make them happy at the same time. While some key players were able to make it back to the team, there were some heartbreaking releases too.

Chennai Super Kings had their retention list going well. The team was also able to make some notable inclusions to their line-up with the trade window. Fans already had a hint of the players who could be retained by the team ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction. 

When it comes to batters, Chennai Super Kings have retained Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, and Dewald Brevis. Gaikwad has shown a strong form ever since he marked his return after being injured in IPL 2025, and he will now be leading the side too. Also, Ayush Mhatre proved to be a promising young talent for them, leading them to some close games. 

• Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
• Dewald Brevis (Foreign)
• MS Dhoni 
• Urvil Patel 
• Sanju Samson (Traded from RR for 18 Crore)
• Shivam Dube 
• Ayush Mhatre 
• Ramkrishna Ghosh 
• Khaleel Ahmed 
• Mukesh Choudhary 
• Nathan Ellis (Foreign)
• Anshul Kamboj
• Jamie Overton (Foreign)
• Gurjapneet Singh 
• Noor Ahmad (Foreign)
• Shreyas Gopal 

And for Dewald Brevis, it was obvious for him to be retained. He has been one of the finest overseas batsmen in the T20I format as of now. Even in the last season, fans were excited to watch him play for Chennai Super Kings. He used to smash boundaries as if the bowlers were going lightly at him. With Brevis, CSK has strengthened its middle order batting line-up. 

Chennai Super Kings has kept all of its wicket-keepers in the line-up. This also means fans would be able to watch Mahendra Singh Dhoni play the IPL yet again, and Chepauk Stadium will be lit up once again. Along with that, the team also has Urvil Patel in its line-up, which will strengthen their batting line-up to a great extent. 

In all-rounders, the team has retained several all-rounders too, which includes Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, and Ramkrishna Ghosh. Dube has now started to prove himself with his bowling skills too, which plays a vital role for Chennai Super Kings in the next season. Overton has also made some notable performances in the international format. 

They have also maintained strength in its bowling department. The team has bowlers such as Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurjapneet Singh. With this line-up, it is clear that Chennai Super Kings has focused on keeping its pace bowling options almost the same for the next season. 

Traded Players

Sanju Samson will be bringing in more depth and experience to their batting line-up. Moreover, he will serve as an extra wicket-keeping option for the team, with his experience in the T20 format being better than other players except Dhoni. With Samson and Dhoni together, the Chepauk is expected to light up again with the fans.

Chennai Super Kings has made some of the shocking releases. Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, the team has released a total of 13 players, which is a huge number. The release list for them already started with Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League in August 2025, months before the retentions were to be announced. 

Along with him, the team has also released the key New Zealand batting duo, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. Ravindra was not able to give consistent performances for the team, and Conway was unavailable for the majority of the last season. The team has also released a bunch of Indian players such as Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, and a lot more. 

• Devon Conway - 6.25 Crore (Foreign)
• Rahul Tripathi - 3.40 Crore
• Shaik Rasheed - 30 Lakh
• Vansh Bedi - 55 Lakh
• Andre Siddarth - 30 Lakh
• Rachin Ravindra - 4 Crore (Foreign)
• Ravichandran Ashwin - 9.75 Crore
• Vijay Shankar - 1.20 Crore
• Sam Curran - 2.40 Crore (Traded to Rajasthan Royals) (Foreign)
• Ravindra Jadeja - 14 Crore (Traded to Rajasthan Royals)
• Deepak Hooda - 1.70 Crore
• Kamlesh Nagarkoti - 30 Lakh
• Matheesha Pathirana - 13 Crore (Foreign)

But the most shocking release made by the team was Ravindra Jadeja. He had been a part of CSK for a long time, but he would be against them in the next edition. Jadeja has been traded to Rajasthan Royals for 14 crore rupees, in place of Sanju Samson. But he was not the only player which the team traded, as Sam Curran has also been traded to Rajasthan Royals. 

Also, the team has released Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda, who were not able to do well for the team in the last season. Matheesha Pathirana came in as a surprise release, as he was a valuable pacer for Chennai Super Kings over the past few years. Now, he could be attracting high bids in the upcoming auction.

Purse Remaining