Exclusive: IPL 2026 All 10 Teams Likely Retained Fast Bowlers

Explore the exclusive list of fast bowlers retained by all 10 IPL teams ahead of the 2026 Mini Auction. From Jasprit Bumrah to Mohammed Siraj, see which pacers are staying and how they shape each franchise’s bowling strategy.

Fast bowlers are currently trending, and the India vs England Test series is the main reason for it. While Jasprit Bumrah leads the pack when it comes to fast bowling, the other fast bowlers in the Indian camp, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, etc., have been pretty impressive too, more so in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. All pacers have given their heart out in possibly the worst series for a bowler.

Given the rise of Indian pacers in this series, it certainly looks a positive sight for the Indian team. On the other hand, the England pacers have looked mediocre this series. Aside from Ben Stokes, the other players like Tongue, Carse, Woakes, Archer, etc., have looked pale with their performance at home. This brings us to the most important question, and that’s the retention of fast bowlers ahead of the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. 

The IPL 2026 Mini Auction is just a few months away, and most teams must already be finalising their retention strategy. The fast bowlers, as we know, are an important asset for any team, and hence teams will spend special attention while looking for their core set of fast bowlers. So, in this article, we deep dive into the squad of each team, and find out the best possible retained fast bowlers list for all 10 teams ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Mini Auction. 

IPL 2026 All 10 Teams Likely Retained Fast Bowlers Exclusive List

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Gujarat Titans (GT)

• Arshad Khan
• Kagiso Rabada (o)
• Gerald Coetzee (o)
• Kulwant Kejroliya
• Mohammed Siraj
• Prasidh Krishna

The Gujarat Titans team has a solid pace battery with strength in Indian as well as Overseas pacers. In the Indian pace department, GT have the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who are also leading the Indian test team. Whereas in the Overseas pace department, GT are likely to retain Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee both. There were doubts over whether to retain Rabada, but it looks like GT might continue to trust in Rabada. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Delhi Capitals (DC)

• Mitchell Starc (o)
• Mukesh Kumar

The Delhi Capitals team is expected to do a major revamp when it comes to their core pace attack. As of now, Mitchell Starc and Mukesh Kumar remain the only two pacers that DC may retain without a second thought. DC’s most difficult decision will be whether to retain T Natarajan or not. Make no mistake, Natarajan is a solid bowler, and should have been retained without a second thought. But DC treated Natarajan as some third-grade bowler even after paying him 10 Cr. So, expect DC to release Natarajan along with Mohit and Dushmantha. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 

• Andre Russell (o)
• Anrich Nortje (o)
• Harshit Rana
• Umran Malik
• Vaibhav Arora

The Kolkata Knight Riders team doesn’t have the most boisterous pace attack, but it certainly seems to be full of potential. Among potential retentions, the KRK team will go ahead with the Overseas pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Andre Russell. Whereas among Indian pacers, we should see KKR retaining the likes of Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, and Vaibhav Arora. There is an evident lack of experience here, and KKR should rectify that in the Auction. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)

• Akash Madhwal
• Jofra Archer (o)
• Nandre Burger (o)
• Sandeep Sharma
• Tushar Deshpande
• Yudhvir Charak

Rajasthan Royals bolsters a solid pace attack, which is a mix of Indian and Overseas pacers. Among Indian pacers, RR will retain the likes of Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Charak, Akash Madhwal, and Tushar Deshpande. Even though Tushar had a below-par tournament, he is a quality bowler, and should get retained for his potential. Among Overseas pacers, we should see RR retaining only Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Mumbai Indians (MI)

• Arjun Tendulkar
• Corbin Bosch (o)
• Hardik Pandya (c)
• Raj Bawa
• Ashwani Kumar
• Deepak Chahar
• Jasprit Bumrah
• Trent Boult (o)

The Mumbai Indians team should retain a total of 8 fast bowlers ahead of the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. While Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, and Hardik Pandya remain the top 4 fast bowlers to be retained, the team will also retain the likes of Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, and Arjun Tendulkar as key backup fast bowlers. Aside from these 8, the MI team may release the likes of Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams, etc. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

• Romario Shephard (o)
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Josh Hazlewood (o)
• Lungi Ngidi (o)
• Nuwan Thushara (o)
• Rasikh Dar
• Yash Dayal

Talking about the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team, they should retain a solid set of fast bowlers – almost all who played for them in IPL 2025. Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Romario Shehard among the frontline fast bowlers. Whereas among backups, RCB should retain the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, and Rasikh Dar. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

• Arshin Kulkarni
• Mitchell Marsh (o)
• Akash Deep
• Akash Singh
• Avesh Khan
• Prince Yadav
• Shardul Thakur
• Will O’Rourke (o)

The Lucknow Super Giants team is known for their Indian pacers, but aside from retaining most of their Indian fast bowling core, they are also likely to remove the injury-prone pacers like Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Shamar Joseph. But even after these three pacers are not there, the fast bowling of LSG looks solid with the possible retentions like Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Will O’Rourke, Shardul Thakur, etc. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 

• Nitish Reddy
• Ehsan Malinga (o)
• Harshal Patel
• Jaydev Unadkat
• Pat Cummins (o&c)
• Simarjeet Singh

Sunrisers Hyderabad team have a good set of fast bowlers in their side, and with Pat Cummins being the only fast bowler Captain, expect SRH to retain their Captain alongside the likes of Ehsan Malinga, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, and emerging Simarjeet Singh. Their biggest headache will be whether they still trust Mohammed Shami to deliver, or let him go, as Shami has lost all his effectiveness after the injury. Ideally, they should release Shami as they have sufficient good backups. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

• Sam Curran (o)
• Shivam Dube
• Anshul Kamboj
• Khaleel Ahmed
• Matheesha Pathirana (o)
• Nathan Ellis (o)
• Ramkrishna Ghosh

The Chennai Super Kings team has a solid pace battery, and they shall retain a total of 7 fast bowlers for IPL 2026. Known for their spin pitches in general, CSK still never fails to give importance to their fast bowlers. Among potential retentions, the team currently have Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana, and Sam Curran as primary pacers. Whereas for backups, CSK have Shivam Dube, Nathan Ellis, and Ramkrishna Ghosh.    

IPL 2026 Best Retained Fast Bowlers List for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

• Azmatullah Omarzai (o)
• Marco Jansen (o)
• Marcus Stoinis (o)
• Suryansh Shedge
• Arshdeep Singh
• Lockie Ferguson (o)
• Kuldeep Sen
• Vyshak Vijaykumar
• Yash Thakur

Talking about the Punjab Kings, the team relied majorly on their fast bowling all-rounders, and they have some really good names in this area, like Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Marcus Stoinis. These three played an important role for PBKS last year, and aside from these three, the team shall retain the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Kuldeep Sen, and Yash Thakur. While Arshdeep Singh leads the pace attack, they shall continue to invest in Kuldeep Sen, Vyshak Vijaykumar, and Yash Thakur. 

So, that’s about best retained fast bowlers list for all 10 Teams for IPL 2026. Which bowlers do you think the teams should release? Please share your thoughts on ipladdafounder@gmail.com.

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