Ten franchises have three days left to make the hardest calls of their off-season. The retention deadline for IPL 2027 falls on November 17, two days later than the November 15 date first reported, and the mini-auction is expected to follow on December 16 in Goa.
Here is what is actually confirmed, what is still only reported, and why this auction matters more than a normal mini-auction.
IPL 2027 key dates at a glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Retention list deadline | November 17, 2026 |
| Player auction | December 16, 2026, Goa (reported) |
| Trade window closes | One week before the auction |
| IPL 2027 season start | Possibly around March 10 (not confirmed) |
The auction date has been widely reported after being passed on to franchises, but there is no public BCCI announcement yet. One awkward detail: December 16 is also the day India play Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Bengaluru, so a few India players could be on the field while their IPL futures are being decided.
How much money do teams have?
According to a Cricbuzz report, every franchise’s purse goes up from ₹125 crore to ₹130 crore for this auction. A ₹5 crore top-up sounds small. It is not small for teams that spent almost everything last December.
Kolkata Knight Riders are the clearest example. They left the IPL 2026 auction with just ₹45 lakh, so the top-up takes them to about ₹5.45 crore before any releases. Reported pre-release figures for other sides: Rajasthan Royals around ₹7.65 crore, Punjab Kings ₹8.50 crore, and Chennai Super Kings about ₹5.20 crore after their trade with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Expect all of those numbers to jump on November 17. Releasing a big contract is the only real way a team creates spending power at a mini-auction.
Squad rules for IPL 2027
- Maximum 25 players per squad
- Maximum eight overseas players
- Retained players stay on their current contracts, and that money comes out of the auction purse
The overseas cap is already forcing decisions. Chennai’s four-player trade brought in Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards and reportedly takes them to nine overseas players, so at least one has to go before the deadline.
The last mini-auction before a mega auction
This is the final mini-auction of the current cycle, with a mega auction due before IPL 2028. That changes the maths. Teams are less likely to splash big money on fringe players they could lose in a year anyway, and more likely to chase short-term fixes for specific gaps, like a death bowler or a finisher.
Trades already done
The trade window has been unusually busy. Hardik Pandya has left Mumbai Indians for Punjab Kings in a straight swap with Arshdeep Singh, and Rishabh Pant is back at Delhi Capitals. Every deal, with fees and our verdict, is in our full IPL 2027 trades list.
When does IPL 2027 start?
There is no official date yet. In June, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the league could start as early as March 10 and finish by May 15 to avoid bad weather. For comparison, IPL 2026 ran from March 28 to May 31. If the earlier window holds, there will be less than three months between the auction and the first ball.
Three things to watch on November 17
- MS Dhoni: Chennai have not said whether he will play on, and his decision shapes their whole list.
- Yuzvendra Chahal at Punjab: on ₹18 crore, he is the obvious candidate if Punjab want more auction money.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: talk of a move from Rajasthan to Lucknow surfaced earlier this month but appears to have cooled.
We will update this page as soon as the official retention lists are out. For team-by-team analysis, follow our IPL 2027 coverage.