IPL 2026 auction: List of all players who have opted out of the next season – Khel Now

IPL
The much-awaited auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is scheduled to be held on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. There are 77 slots available to grab, which includes 31 overseas players. A total of INR 237.55 crore will be spent during the event.
Ten teams retained 173 players, and some big names were released to come under the hammer. With only a couple of weeks left for the auction, a few stars have opted out of the auction.
The next edition will be missing some of the household names. In this article, we will talk about those superstars who have opted out of the IPL 2026 auction.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis is one of the first overseas stars to opt out of the IPL 2026. He won’t be putting his name up for the auction; instead, he has confirmed that he will be available for the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It will be a big blow to the tournament, as Du Plessis made his IPL debut in 2012.
He has played 14 seasons and featured in 154 matches for four different sides. Though he didn’t rule out his IPL return in the future, for this season, the two-time IPL winner will not be part of the league.
Another big name who will not be featured in the IPL 2026 is Andre Russell. The West Indian all-rounder has been active since 2012. He played the first two editions for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014.
He has won two IPL titles with KKR but was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. That certainly forced him to announce his retirement from the IPL. However, he will be with KKR, as the franchise has signed him as a “Power Coach” for the IPL 2026. But his power hitting and swag as a player will be missed by the fans.
Former English all-rounder Moeen Ali is another name to miss out on the IPL 2026. The all-rounder confirmed his exclusion through a social media post. The all-rounder has played 8 IPL seasons and won the title with Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
However, his last franchise, KKR, released him earlier. And he has now decided to head to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), just like Du Plessis, and termed it a fresh start to his T20 career. Moeen has played 73 IPL games for three different teams and has scored 1167 runs with 41 wickets.
Veteran Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who was the highest-paid player at the 2013 auction, will be missing the IPL 2026. After spending four seasons with RCB, Maxwell was signed by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 4.20 crore ahead of IPL 2025.
But he had a mediocre season, scoring only 48 runs and taking 4 wickets in the IPL 2025. He was released by the franchise, and the all-rounder has decided to opt out of the coming season. It has ended his 12-season-long IPL stint. He scored 2819 runs and took 41 wickets in the IPL.
The IPL 2026 auction will take place on December 16.
The IPL 2026 auction will take place in Abu Dhabi.
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Karan Rawat is a seasoned cricket writer with a deep passion for the game and over 5 years of experience covering everything that the game can offer. He loves to share the analysis, match reports, and player profiles and tries to bring stories to life with a unique blend of statistics and storytelling. Whether breaking down Test match tactics or capturing the drama of a T20 thriller, Karan's work connects fans with the soul of the sport.

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