The mini auction for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) will be held in December, before that all the teams will release the list of their retained players. The retention list will be live on November 15, which means everyone will know who the team has released and whom it has decided to retain. Here we are telling you about those 5 players who were never released by their team.
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar, known as the God of Cricket, played for Mumbai Indians from 2008 to 2013. MI never released Sachin. Later Sachin also became the mentor of this team. His son Arjun Tendulkar is also involved in Mumbai Indians, however, before the upcoming season, there is news that the franchise may give him to Lucknow Super Giants through a trade deal.
Virat Kohli
At number two is Virat Kohli, who has been playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore since the first edition (2008). He played under the captaincy of many legends, then also commanded this team for many years. However, he and RCB won their first IPL title after 18 years in the last edition (2025). RCB never released Virat.
ms dhoni
Chennai Super Kings never released MS Dhoni. Dhoni has been a part of this team since 2008 and has made the team champion 5 times under his captaincy. Dhoni played for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 and 2017, although Dhoni was not released but CSK was banned in these 2 years. Dhoni is also certain to play in IPL 2026.
Sunil Narine
West Indies spinner Sunil Narine made his IPL debut in 2012, he was associated with Kolkata Knight Riders and is still a part of this team. Narine bowled many match-winning spells for KKR, while he was also promoted in batting. He started coming to the opening. He gives a fast start to KKR.
shane warne
Shane Warne, who won the first IPL title, is no longer with us, he died in March 2022. Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals to their first IPL title as captain. He played for Rajasthan from 2008 to 2011, but the franchise never released him.
