5 legendary cricketers who won’t feature in IPL 2026

Published - 08 Dec 2025, 18:26 IST | Updated - 08 Dec 2025, 18:38 IST

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.

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.