5 legendary cricketers who won’t feature in IPL 2026

The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be the 19th instalment of the marquee tournament.  Ahead of the cricketing spectacle, teams have to build their squads by making some notable purchases to their groups at the auction, set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16.

Like the past editions, each team will be aiming at maximizing the mini auction in terms of filling in the gaps according to their strategic plans. However, Several big names have been released by franchises, and these names in turn, have opted not to continue with their IPL careers, at least for the 2026 season. Today, CricTracker will list down five biggest players, who played in 2025, but won’t be seen in the upcoming year.

Here are 5 legendary cricketers who won’t feature in IPL 2026

5. Moeen Ali

Former English batting all-rounder Moeen Ali recently opted on playing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead of the IPL. He announced his decision on social media, which came as a huge surprise for cricket fans all over the globe. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the Pakistani league.

Moeen represented KKR in the 2025 season, but did not enjoy best of the campaigns for the three-time champions. Prior to that, he represented RCB and CSK for three and four seasons on the trot, respectively. Moeen has registered 1167 runs at a strike-rate of 139.76 in 73 matches and has picked up 41 wickets at an economy rate of 7.22.

4. Faf du Plessis

Like Moeen, even Faf du Plessis officially announced his decision of picking the PSL over the Indian edition via a social media post on Instagram. The top-order batter, currently aged 41, expressed that not featuring in the IPL was a massive decision.

Du Plessis’ seven seasons out of the 13 came while playing for CSK. Prior to wearing the DC jersey in 2025, he was a part of RCB from 2022 to 2024, also captaining them. The former South African cricketer’s 4773 runs in the lucrative tournament have come at a strike rate of 135.78, making him one of the most celebrated overseas cricketers in the league.

3. Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell made a surprise decision of not listing his name in the players to be available at the auction. He did not provide any formal clarification when it comes to the decision. However, the star all-rounder thanked his Indian fans for supporting him unconditionally, having played for multiple franchises over the years.

Maxwell, although considered as one of the most celebrated overseas players, did not have the best couple of seasons in 2024 and 2025. He could score only 100 runs across 15 innings at a strike rate of only 109.44. 

2. Andre Russell

Ex-West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell recently hung up his boots from the IPL. He announced his retirement via an Instagram post in which he promised to be a part of the KKR family by joining the franchise as a power coach for the upcoming instalment of the cash-rich tournament.

After initially representing Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Russell joined the Kolkata-based franchise and grew into one of their most renowned players in no time with his fierce on-field brilliance. With 2651 runs and 123 wickets in 140 matches, Russell has been one of the most impactful all-rounders of the IPL. He has joined the three-time champions as the 

1. Ravichandran Ashwin

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, like others, made a social media post in August earlier in the year to communicate his decision of bringing the curtains down on his IPL career. His post on his official ‘X’ handle mentioned that he will be open to playing across the globe in other franchise T20 leagues.

Ashwin ended his 16-season association with the IPL by ending up as the fifth-highest wicket-taker ahead of IPL 2026, picking up 187 wickets while possessing an economy rate of a remarkable 7.20. He was vital to CSK for their title-winning runs in 2010 and 2011.