Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Auction, many teams took some bold decisions by releasing some of their key players. A few of the biggest names are Andre Russell, Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi and David Miller. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released two big names, which led them to have the biggest purse of 64.30 crore.
The IPL 2026 mini-auction is scheduled on December 16, 2025, and it will be held in Abu Dhabi. All the franchises will be looking for the quality players who are released by other teams, while some will be looking for young and raw domestic talents. It’s going to be an intense mini-auction, and we might see some crazy bidding wars.
Top Expensive Released Players:
Venkatesh Iyer – Rs. 23.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Matheesha Pathirana – Rs. 13.00 crore by Chennai Super kings (CSK)
Andre Russell – Rs. 12.00 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Ravi Bishnoi – Rs. 11.00 crore by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Jake Fraser-McGurk – Rs. 9.00 crore by Delhi Capitals (DC)
Liam Livingstone – Rs. 8.75 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Akash Deep – Rs. 8.00 crore by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
David Miller – Rs. 7.50 crore by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Anrich Nortje – Rs. 6.50 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Devon Conway – Rs. 6.25 crore by Chennai Super kings (CSK)
One of the biggest releases is Venkatesh Iyer by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), whom they bought at a whopping price of Rs. 23.75 crore. But, Iyer didn’t perform well for the KKR in the past few seasons.
However, It is almost confirmed that KKR will release him after he failed to give a good performance in the IPL 2025. Along with him, KKR also released their best finisher, Andre Russell, which shocked everyone.
KKR management is looking for the future, and Andre Russell might retire in one or two seasons; therefore, they released him. Andre Russell was bought at a price of Rs. 12.00 crore but is expected to be an expensive buy in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction.
IPL 2026 Purse Remaining Ahead of Auction:
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rs. 64.30 crore
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Rs. 43.40 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Rs. 25.50 crore
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): Rs. 22.95 crore
Delhi Capitals (DC): Rs. 21.80 crore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Rs. 16.40 crore
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Rs. 16.05 crore
Gujarat Titans (GT): Rs. 12.90 crore
Punjab Kings (PBKS): Rs. 11.50 crore
Mumbai Indians (MI): Rs. 2.75 crore
Read More: IPL 2026 Released XI: Shocking Big Names Dropped Ahead of the Mega Auction