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Trades hogged all the limelight on the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 retention day. Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami moved to different franchises at exorbitant prices. But there were a few shocking releases as well. 83 players were let go; therefore, choosing just five won’t be easy, but InsideSport will try its best.
5 biggest releases before IPL 2026 auction
The most surprising release was that of Matheesha Pathirana by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The slingy pacer has been struggling for the last few months. Since changing his action, the quick has lost form. Sri Lanka hasn’t even been picking him. While his pace hasn’t dropped, the change in his trajectory has made Pathirana hittable. Perhaps CSK thought that the pacer wasn’t likely to return to his best soon and decided to release him.
Matheesha Pathirana | CSK | 13.00 crore |
| Ravi Bishnoi | LSG | 11.00 crore |
| Venkatesh Iyer | KKR | 23.75 crore |
| Andre Russell | KKR | 12.00 crore |
| David Miller | LSG | 7.50 crore |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had the costliest release in Venkatesh Iyer. The all-rounder didn’t look the part after the 2-time champions broke the bank for him. But this was expected. The shocking part was Andre Russell’s release. The all-rounder has been with KKR since 2014 and was the backbone of the franchise alongside Sunil Narine. Rumour has it that Russell wasn’t happy for the last two IPL seasons and asked to be released.
Lastly, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) parted ways with Ravi Bishnoi and David Miller. Both had poor outings in 2025. The former was retained but didn’t live up to the promise and hasn’t been making any improvements in the last couple of years. Miller’s release might have to do with age. At 36, he isn’t a spring chicken. Maybe LSG thought they could get another finisher, who might be costlier than Miller but could serve them for longer.
The post 5 biggest releases before IPL 2026 auction ft. Andre Russell appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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