Former Indian cricketer and ex-Punjab Kings’ head coach, Anil Kumble, has named the players he feels should be released ahead of the mini auction for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Kumble advocated for the release of Mohammed Shami, Venkatesh Iyer, and Ravichandran Ashwin from their current sides.
While Shami has been a constant victim of injuries, Ashwin’s age has shown its negative consequences on his performance with the ball. As for Venkatesh, his fifth season for Kolkata Knight Riders was one to forget. The third-most expensive buy of IPL 2025 (INR 23.75 crore), Iyer was able to score only 142 runs in seven innings.
Anil Kumble opens up on Indian team without Rohit and Virat
As far as Kumble’s retentions were concerned, he felt the likes of Rishabh Pant, Mayank Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, and Dhruv Jurel deserved to be retained by their teams going into the next season.
Notably, Pant has had a torrid season with the bat. The LSG skipper was manage to score only 151 runs in at a miserly average of 13.72 in 12 innings so far. Another player who was captaining a new franchise this season was Rahane. Although he performed much better than Pant with the bat, similar to the southpaw, he was also not able to guide his side into the playoffs.
Although Jadeja performed as per expectations with the bat on most occasions, his performances with the ball was far from his usual seld. Usually tight with the ball, the spin-bowling all-rounder conceded runs at a rate of 8.56 with less than a wicket per match (10 wickets in 14 games).
As for Jurel, barring two-three innings, he has been quite underwhelming with the bat. Jurel, one of the six players retained by Rajasthan Royals, failed to provide the required impetus to the innings on several instances.
Anil Kumble’s retentions for IPL 2026
| Player | Team | Price (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | LSG | 27 crore |
| Mayank Yadav | LSG | 11 crore |
| Ravindra Jadeja | CSK | 18 crore |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | SRH | 6 crore |
| Ajinkya Rahane | KKR | 1.50 crore |
| Ishan Kishan | SRH | 11.25 crore |
| Dhruv Jurel | RR | 11 crore |
| Rachin Ravindra | CSK | 4 crore |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | RR | 5.25 crore |
| T Natarajan | DC | 10.75 crore |
| Ravi Bishnoi | LSG | 11 crore |
| Marcus Stoinis | PBKS | 11 crore |
| Matheesha Pathirana | CSK | 13 crore |
| Kagiso Rabada | GT | 10.75 crore |
Anil Kumble’s releases for IPL 2026
| Player | Team | Price (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | SRH | 10 crore |
| Venkatesh Iyer | KKR | 23.75 crore |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | CSK | 9.75 crore |
| Devon Conway | CSK | 6.25 crore |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | DC | 9 crore |
| Shimron Hetmyer | RR | 11 crore |
| Liam Livingstone | RCB | 8.75 crore |
| Lungi Ngidi | RCB | 1 crore |
| Glenn Maxwell | PBKS | 4.20 crore |
