Retention List of IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings announced their list of retained and released players for the IPL 2026 season on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The franchise was one of the busiest sides in the trading window and made some of the biggest moves of the cycle. CSK decided to part ways with long time all rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pace bowling all rounder Sam Curran. Both players were traded to Rajasthan Royals. In return, CSK secured Sanju Samson. The move is already being viewed as one of the biggest trades in league history. The franchise also released Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and the New Zealand pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The moves point to a strong shift in strategy after a difficult 2025 season.

Retained playersRuturaj Gaikwad (captain)Ayush MhatreDewald BrevisM. S. DhoniUrvil PatelShivam DubeJamie OvertonRamakrishna GhoshNoor AhmadKhaleel AhmedAnshul KambojGurjanpreet SinghNathan EllisShreyas GopalMukesh Choudhary

Released playersRahul TripathiVansh BediC Andre SiddarthRachin RavindraDeepak HoodaVijay ShankarShaik RasheedKamlesh NagarkotiMatheesha PathiranaR Ashwin

TradesSanju Samson traded in from Rajasthan RoyalsRavindra Jadeja traded to Rajasthan RoyalsSam Curran traded to Rajasthan Royals

CSK finished last in the 2025 season with four wins and ten losses. They ended with eight points and a net run rate of minus 0.647. It was their poorest campaign in league history. The fresh squad structure and the addition of Samson mark a new direction as CSK prepares for the IPL 2026 mini auction.