IPL 2027 Retention and Auction Schedule: Dates, Trades and Rules
The IPL 2027 retention deadline is Tuesday, November 17, 2026, and the mini-auction follows on Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at the ITC Grand Goa in Goa. All 10 franchises must file their retained and released players by November 17. Eight players have already changed teams in three completed trades, and one big swap, Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings for Arshdeep Singh to Mumbai Indians, is still waiting for the BCCI's approval. Here is the full schedule, the trades, and the rules that decide who stays.
This is a mini-auction, not a mega auction. There is no fixed retention limit, no Right to Match card, and no big rebuild. Teams keep the core they want, release the rest, and use the auction on December 16 to fill the gaps. The 2027 season is expected to start towards the end of March, though the BCCI has not announced the dates yet.
IPL 2027 retention and auction schedule: the full timeline
Here is every date that matters between now and the auction. The ones marked confirmed come from the BCCI or the IPL's own site. The ones marked reported come from the press and have not been announced by the BCCI.
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | Player registration opened. BCCI told franchises the retention deadline was moving to Nov 17. | Confirmed |
| Nov 17, 2026 | Retention deadline. All 10 franchises must file their retained and released players. | Confirmed |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Player registration closes for the auction. | Confirmed |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Last day teams can ask the BCCI to add a player to the auction pool. | Confirmed |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Franchises submit their shortlists for the auction. | Confirmed |
| Dec 3, 2026 | Final auction register and player sets shared with the teams. | Confirmed |
| Dec 9, 2026 | Current trading window closes, seven days before the auction. | Confirmed |
| Dec 15, 2026 | Franchise briefing ahead of the auction. | Reported |
| Dec 16, 2026 | IPL 2027 mini-auction at ITC Grand Goa, Goa. | Confirmed |
| Dec 17, 2026 | Second trading window opens, until 30 days before the season. | Confirmed |
| Mar 10 – May 15, 2027 | IPL 2027 season, 74 matches, 10 teams. | Reported, not announced |
One date worth noting: the auction on December 16 falls on the same day as the second India vs Sri Lanka ODI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The auction is in the afternoon, so the cricket does not stop for it.
When is the IPL 2027 mini auction?
The IPL 2027 mini-auction is on Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at the ITC Grand Goa in Goa. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the date and the venue to the Hindustan Times on October 17, and the IPL's own site has carried the details since November 3.
This is the first IPL auction held in India since Kochi in 2022. The last three auctions were held overseas: Dubai, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. It is also the last mini-auction of the 2023–27 cycle. The next auction after this one will be a mega auction ahead of the 2028 season, when every team is asked to rebuild from scratch.
The 2027 season itself has not been given a date yet. Reports put it from March 10 to May 15, 2027, with 74 matches across 10 teams, the 20th edition of the IPL. That is the plan in the press, not a BCCI announcement, so treat it as the working date until the board confirms it.
What is the retention deadline for IPL 2027?
The retention deadline is Tuesday, November 17, 2026. That is the day every franchise must tell the BCCI which players it is keeping and which players it is releasing. Once the lists are in, the released players go into the auction pool, and the teams know how much purse they have left.
The date was moved. The BCCI first set the deadline for November 15, then told the franchises on November 2 that it would be November 17 instead. The reason was the calendar: November 15 clashed with the fifth ODI between India and New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The extra two days gave the teams a little more time, and the board a clear day.
As of November 11, no franchise has published its retention list. The lists are due on November 17, and the full picture, who stayed, who was released, and how much purse each team has, will only be clear once they are filed.
The 8 confirmed trades before IPL 2027
Before the auction, teams can trade players with each other. Three trades are done, and eight players have changed teams. They involve four franchises: Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings. Sunrisers Hyderabad have been the busiest, trading in three players and trading out three.
| Player | From | To | Type | League fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | LSG | DC | Player swap | ₹15 cr* |
| Kuldeep Yadav | DC | LSG | Player swap | ₹13.50 cr |
| T. Natarajan | DC | SRH | Player swap | ₹5 cr |
| Zeeshan Ansari | SRH | DC | Player swap | ₹40 lakh |
| Liam Livingstone | SRH | CSK | Player swap | ₹6 cr |
| Jack Edwards | SRH | CSK | Player swap | ₹3 cr |
| Khaleel Ahmed | CSK | SRH | Player swap | ₹4.8 cr |
| Nathan Ellis | CSK | SRH | Player swap | ₹2 cr |
*Pant's ₹15 crore is a reported league fee. He joined Lucknow for ₹27 crore at the 2025 mega-auction, so the reported fee is a ₹12 crore cut. Livingstone's ₹6 crore is also a cut: his original Sunrisers contract was ₹13 crore.
The trade ledger: what the trades did to each team's purse
No one has added up what these trades mean for the salary cap. Here it is. For each team, the net is the league fee of the players traded in, minus the league fee of the players traded out. The fees are the ones reported in the trade table above.
| Team | Traded in (₹ cr) | Traded out (₹ cr) | Net (₹ cr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Capitals | 15.40 (Pant 15.00 + Ansari 0.40) | 18.50 (Kuldeep 13.50 + Natarajan 5.00) | −3.10 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 13.50 (Kuldeep 13.50) | 15.00 (Pant 15.00) | −1.50 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 11.80 (Natarajan 5.00 + Khaleel 4.80 + Ellis 2.00) | 9.40 (Ansari 0.40 + Livingstone 6.00 + Edwards 3.00) | +2.40 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 9.00 (Livingstone 6.00 + Edwards 3.00) | 6.80 (Khaleel 4.80 + Ellis 2.00) | +2.20 |
The four nets add up to zero, which is how it should be. ₹49.70 crore of league fees changed hands, and nothing left the system. Delhi Capitals shed the most, ₹3.10 crore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad added the most, ₹2.40 crore. The ledger is our own calculation from the reported fees, not an official BCCI figure, and it only counts the league fees in the trade table. The money that changes hands between franchises does not count towards the salary cap.
Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh: the trade that is not done yet
The biggest trade of the window is still not done. Hardik Pandya is reported to be moving from Mumbai Indians to Punjab Kings, with Arshdeep Singh going the other way to Mumbai Indians. The two teams have exchanged expressions of interest, both players have given their consent, and the paperwork is complete. What is left is formal approval from the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council.
That is why it is not in the confirmed table above. A few reports have called it done, but the BCCI has not announced it, and the fee has not been reported. Until the board signs it off, it is a proposed trade, not a completed one. We will update this page when it is announced.
There are other names in the mix. Gujarat Titans approached Delhi Capitals for Ashutosh Sharma months ago and got no answer; Gujarat and Lucknow are both linked with him, and a fast bowler may be offered in return. Ashutosh scored 171 runs in eight matches in IPL 2026 at a strike rate above 180. Marcus Stoinis and Mohsin Khan have been linked in a Punjab Kings–Lucknow swap, and Prasidh Krishna has been linked with Delhi Capitals, but neither deal is established by reliable reporting yet.
IPL 2027 mini auction rules: retention limits, salary cap and RTM
The rules for a mini-auction are different from a mega auction. Here is what matters for 2027.
There is no fixed retention limit. At the 2025 mega auction, a team could retain at most six players. At a mini-auction, a team keeps as many players as it wants, as long as it fits the squad rules. That is why the retention deadline matters so much. The teams decide their own core, and the auction fills the gaps.
Squads are 18 to 25 players, with at most eight overseas players. A team that keeps 20 players has five slots to fill at the auction. A team that keeps 25 has none.
There is no Right to Match card at a mini-auction. At a mega auction, a team can match the winning bid on a player it released and keep him. That card does not exist in December. Once a player is released, he is in the open pool.
The salary cap is ₹157 crore per franchise in 2027. It was ₹146 crore in 2025 and ₹151 crore in 2026. The cap is not the same as the auction purse. The cap covers the auction purse, plus incremental performance pay, plus match fees. The 2027 auction purse itself has not been published. The 2026 auction purse was ₹125 crore and the 2025 purse was ₹120 crore, so the 2027 number will only be known once the retention lists are filed on November 17.
An overseas player cannot be bought for more than ₹18 crore. The cap is the lower of the top retention price (₹18 crore) or the highest price paid at the previous mega auction. Rishabh Pant went for ₹27 crore at the 2025 mega-auction, so the cap is ₹18 crore. A team can bid past it, but the extra money goes to the BCCI for player welfare, not to the player.
The match fee is ₹7.5 lakh per match, including the Impact Player. And a player who is bought at the auction and then pulls out before the season is banned from the tournament and the auction for two seasons. A player bought at an auction cannot be traded for the season that follows it.
How an IPL trade actually happens
A trade is not a handshake. It follows a set process, and the player has a say in it.
First, the interested franchise sends an Expression of Interest to the BCCI. The existing franchise then gets 48 hours to respond. If it is willing, the player signs a consent form, and consent is compulsory. A player can refuse a trade, and the deal stops there. Then the two teams negotiate the terms, and the BCCI gives the final approval. The board can also reject a trade or impose a penalty if the rules are broken.
The money works in three ways. On an existing salary, the buying team takes over the fee as it is. On an increased salary, the extra is shared between the player and the selling franchise, and the player's share cannot be more than 50% of the increase. On a reduced salary, the player consents in writing, and the selling franchise pays the difference to the buying franchise for that season, so the player's earnings stay protected.
Two more rules worth knowing. An overseas player who is traded needs a No Objection Certificate from his national board. And there is no blanket ban on trading an injured player. The buying franchise checks the fitness itself and may ask for a medical.
Who is set to stay: Cummins, Hazlewood and the expert picks
No franchise has published its retention list yet, but two names are being reported as staying. Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to retain Pat Cummins, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to retain Josh Hazlewood. Both reports come from Code Sports, carried by CricketAddictor and the Sunday Guardian on November 11.
Cummins would take a ₹18 crore retention slot at Sunrisers. He has played 80 IPL matches, taken 87 wickets at an average of 30.80 and an economy of 8.89, and scored 642 runs at a strike rate of 152.49. Sunrisers signed him for ₹20.50 crore in 2024 and reached the final that year.
Hazlewood would take a ₹12.50 crore slot at Bengaluru. He has played 52 IPL matches, taken 72 wickets at an average of 23.47 and an economy of 8.62, and won three IPL titles: two with Bengaluru and one with Chennai. In 2025 he took 22 wickets in 12 matches and defended 29 runs in the final over of the final against Punjab Kings, as Bengaluru won their first title. In 2026 he came back from hamstring and Achilles trouble early in the season and took 15 wickets in 13 matches in Bengaluru's title defence.
Both bowlers face a packed schedule from December 2026, with Australia's 2027 Ashes tour of England to follow, so workload is a real question for their teams.
The experts have had their say too, and their picks are predictions, not decisions. Cheteshwar Pujara, speaking on Star Sports, picked one release for each franchise. His headline calls were Cameron Green at Kolkata Knight Riders (₹25.20 crore, the most expensive overseas signing in IPL history at the 2026 auction), Hardik Pandya at Mumbai Indians, who made 206 runs in 10 matches in 2026, and Nicholas Pooran at Lucknow, who made 184 runs in 11 innings at 16.73. The only squad Pujara would leave untouched is Bengaluru. Aakash Chopra, picking Kolkata's retentions, would keep Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy and 11 others, and release Green and Matheesha Pathirana. Pathirana cost ₹18 crore and missed most of the season through injury.
Kolkata have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and Ajinkya Rahane's retirement has left them without a captain, so their list on November 17 will be one of the most watched. Chennai finished eighth in IPL 2026, so their list will be watched too.
FAQs
When is the IPL 2027 mini auction?
The IPL 2027 mini-auction is on Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at the ITC Grand Goa in Goa. The franchise briefing is the day before, on December 15.
What is the retention deadline for IPL 2027?
The retention deadline is Tuesday, November 17, 2026. All 10 franchises must file their retained and released players with the BCCI by that day. It was moved from November 15 because that day clashed with the fifth India vs New Zealand ODI.
Is the IPL 2027 auction a mega auction or a mini auction?
It is a mini-auction. There is no fixed retention limit and no Right to Match card. The next mega auction is ahead of the 2028 season.
How many players can a team retain for IPL 2027?
There is no fixed limit at a mini-auction. A team keeps as many players as it wants, as long as its squad stays between 18 and 25 players with at most eight overseas players.
What is the salary cap for IPL 2027?
The total salary cap is ₹157 crore per franchise in 2027, up from ₹151 crore in 2026. It covers the auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. The auction purse itself has not been published yet.
Which players have been traded before IPL 2027?
Eight players have changed teams in three completed trades: Rishabh Pant (Lucknow to Delhi), Kuldeep Yadav (Delhi to Lucknow), T. Natarajan, Zeeshan Ansari, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis. The Hardik Pandya–Arshdeep Singh swap is proposed, not confirmed.
What to watch next
November 17 is the next date that matters. Once the retention lists are filed, we will know who stayed, who was released, and how much purse each team has for December 16. The Hardik Pandya–Arshdeep Singh trade should also be settled by then, one way or the other. We will update this page when the lists are out.
For now, the shape of IPL 2027 is set: a mini-auction in Goa, a salary cap of ₹157 crore, eight players already in new colours, and one big swap still waiting on the BCCI. The auction is on December 16, and the season is expected to start towards the end of March.
See also: Kieron Pollard is Mumbai Indians' head coach for IPL 2027 • All IPL 2027 news, retention and auction coverage • India tour of New Zealand 2026: schedule and squads
Related articles
- Kieron Pollard Appointed Mumbai Indians Head Coach for IPL 2027: The Legend Returns
- India Tour of New Zealand 2026: Schedule, Squads, Live Streaming, Playing 11
- How to Pick a Winning Playing 11 on Dream11: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026
- IPL 2027 News, Retention & Auction
Sources
IPL: IPL 2027 Auction: Teams Get Two Extra Days to Submit Retention Lists (Nov 3, 2026) • Sportstar: IPL 2027 mini-auction: Date, venue, deadline and trades (Nov 9, 2026) • Business Standard: IPL 2027: Full list of traded players, proposed deals and trading rules (Nov 10, 2026) • CricTracker: IPL 2027: Every confirmed trade ahead of the mini-auction (updated Nov 11, 2026) • Financial Express: IPL 2027 trades: Hardik Pandya is reportedly set to join Punjab Kings (Nov 9, 2026) • CricketAddictor: SRH and RCB set to retain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood ahead of IPL 2027 Auction (Nov 11, 2026) • TezzBuzz: IPL 2027 Retention List: Full Team-Wise Retentions And Releases of All 10 Franchises (Nov 11, 2026) • Gujarat Samachar: Hardik Pandya Set to Join Punjab Kings, Arshdeep Singh to Move to Mumbai Indians in IPL 2027 Trade (Nov 8, 2026) • Sportskeeda: Aakash Chopra picks KKR's retentions for IPL 2027 (Nov 10, 2026)