IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for All 10 Teams
Explore the likely best retained overseas players list for all 10 Indian Premier League teams ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction. Full team-wise breakdown and expert picks.
Overseas Players is an area where the team not only does experimentation but also retains those who add immense value to the team. Every team in the Indian Premier League has those 4-5 Overseas players whom they consider a part of their core, and the rest of the slots are mostly meant for experimenting. Even as teams approach the IPL 2026 Mini Auction, they will follow this strategy of retaining their core players, and letting go of the ones where they can experiment with new players.
The IPL, as a tournament, is witness to some of the most celebrated Overseas players from across the continents. Right from the likes of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt from England to Aiden Markram and Henrich Klaasen from South Africa to Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner from New Zealand to Travis Head and Pat Cummins from Australia to Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell from the West Indies, there are quality players who play in the IPL.
With talent available in abundance, it is a headache for teams to finalise the Overseas talent that they would want to retain or release. But let’s try to decode in this article the potential list of Overseas players who are likely to be retained by their franchises. We will get into the logic behind the retentions, and how they add value to their existing franchise as the teams finalise their Overseas retained players list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Mini Auction.
IPL 2026 Likely Best Retained Overseas Players for All 10 Teams
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
- Dewald Brevis
- Rachin Ravindra
- Sam Curran
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Nathan Ellis
- Noor Ahmad
The Chennai Super Kings team has a solid bunch of Overseas players in their side. Their core is intact, and they should retain a total of 6 Overseas players, and release two of them. Among potential releases for CSK, Devon Conway and Jamie Overton are the frontrunners as they don’t add much value in the side. But the six retained Overseas players are solid for CSK with Rachin and Dewald as solid batters, Sam Curran, a good all-rounder, and Matheesha Pathirana, Nathan Ellis and Noor Ahmad as solid bowlers.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Delhi Capitals (DC)
- Faf du Plessis
- Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Donovan Ferreira
- Tristan Stubbs
- Mitchell Starc
The Delhi Capitals team didn’t have good performances from their Overseas stars in IPL 2025. Among the ones that did well for them last year, we have only Tristan Stubbs and Mitchell Starc. While these two should be retained without a doubt, we should also see DC trusting Jake Fraser-McGurk and Donovan Ferreira for the talent they have. Other than these four, expect DC to continue with Faf du Plessis for one more year.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Gujarat Titans (GT)
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Jos Buttler
- Rashid Khan
- Gerald Coetzee
- Kagiso Rabada
The Gujarat Titans team had 3 Overseas players who played almost every match for them, and those are Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, and Sherfane Rutherford. However, aside from these three, the fourth Overseas player was usually a shuffle. Aside from these confirmed retentions, expect GT to retain the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee. With these 5 rententions, GT shall mostly let go of the likes of Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka, and Glenn Phillips.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
- Quinton de Kock
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Andre Russell
- Moeen Ali
- Sunil Narine
- Anrich Nortje
The Kolkata Knight Riders team has been relying on the Overseas duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for many years now. Given their match-winning abilities, expect KKR to retain these two players once again. With these two at the core, KKR should once again trust the wicket-keeper duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock. Other than these four, expect KKR to retain Moeen Ali and Anrich Nortje among other Overseas players, and they shall release Spencer Johnson and Rovman Powell.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
- Aiden Markram
- David Miller
- Nicholas Pooran
- Mitchell Marsh
- Will O’Rourke
The Lucknow Super Giants team was the only team that played 4 Overseas batters at once in their playing 11. The team shall continue with the same strategy for IPL 2026 by retaining all 4 batters. However, aside from these four, expect LSG to retain Will O’Rourke to bolster the pace attack in their squad. All 5 are quality Overseas players, and will continue to play a key role for LSG in IPL 2026.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Mumbai Indians (MI)
- Bevon Jacobs
- Ryan Rickelton
- Corbin Bosch
- Mitchell Santner
- Will Jacks
- Allah Ghazanfar
- Trent Boult
The Mumbai Indians team during their IPL 2025 journey were able to develop a solid core of Overseas players, and three of those players played almost all the matches for MI. Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, and Trent Boult played almost all the matches for MI, and Mitchell Santner wasn’t far behind either with his solid contribution in the bowling department. While retaining these four players, expect MI to also retain the likes of Bevon Jacobs, Corbin Bosch, and Allah Ghazanfar, who was injured ahead of IPL 2025.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Mitchell Owen
- Josh Inglis
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Marco Jansen
- Marcus Stoinis
- Lockie Ferguson
The Punjab Kings team doesn’t boast of belligerent Overseas players, but they have some really exciting Overseas players in their squad. Among their potential starters, expect PBKS to retain Josh Inglis, Marco Jansen, and Marcus Stonis without a second thought. These three Overseas players played most of the matches in IPL 2025, and they should continue to do so for IPL 2026 as well. Aside from these three, expect PBKS to retain Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Lockie Ferguson among key backups. However, if there is one player that PBKS may not want to retain, it has to be Glenn Maxwell, who just doesn’t seem interested in playing the IPL.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Jofra Archer
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Nandre Burger
The Rajasthan Royals is a team that seems the opposite of the Lucknow Super Giants when it comes to their Overseas players’ strategy. While LSG focuses on Overseas batters, RR does the opposite by focusing on Overseas bowlers. Given RR’s current squad strength, they might not retain all six Overseas bowlers, but should continue to retain four of them for IPL 2026. Alongside the four Overseas bowlers as mentioned above, expect RR to continue to trust their finisher batter, Shimron Hetmyer.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Tim David
- Phil Salt
- Jacob Bethell
- Romario Shephard
- Josh Hazlewood
- Lungi Ngidi
- Nuwan Thushara
The IPL 2025 champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, shall mostly retain the faith in their Overseas players, except for one name. After giving numerous chances to Liam Livingstone, the performance just isn’t there. Given his high price and underperformance, expect RCB to release just this one Overseas player. Other than this change, expect RCB to trust the other 7 Overseas players, including the star names like Tim David, Phil Salt, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, etc.
IPL 2026 Best Retained Overseas Players List for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
- Travis Head
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Kamindu Mendis
- Ehsan Malinga
- Pat Cummins
The Sunrisers Hyderabad team is one of the few teams that has played a constant trio of Overseas players in IPL 2025, and those are Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Pat Cummins. These three players are the central focus for the team, and they are also the most important players for the team. However, the fourth Overseas player has usually shuffled, and based on the current squad, expect SRH to retain the likes of Ehsan Malinga and Kamindu Mendis.
So, that’s about the best retained Overseas players list for all 10 teams for IPL 2026. Looking at the list for IPL 2026, which Overseas players should be released? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com.
