MLC unveils domestic retention list for 2026, six players land $75,000 contracts

Monank Patel (MI New York), Harmeet Singh (Seattle Orcas), Andries Gous (Washington Freedom), Shubham Ranjane (Texas Super Kings), Shadley van Schalkwyk (LA Knight Riders), and Hassan Khan (San Francisco Unicorns) headline the list of domestic retentions, all securing contracts in the top $75,000 bracket ahead of the MLC domestic draft. Each franchise will operate with a draft purse of $355,000, adjusted based on their retention numbers, marking roughly a 10 percent increase from the 2025 cycle.

Monank, the elevation marks a deserved climb from the $45,000 tier after a standout 2025 season, where he finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer, surpassing the likes of Faf du Plessis. Van Schalkwyk, USA's World Cup hero, has been similarly rewarded, jumping from a Level 7 deal to the top bracket after finishing second in the wickets charts at the recently concluded T20 World Cup.

San Francisco Unicorns parted ways with captain Corey Anderson, a move that seemed increasingly inevitable following his struggles in the past season. After an underwhelming 2024, Anderson’s 2025 campaign was cut short due to injury. Liam Plunkett also exits as the Unicorns usher in a phase of significant reset, retaining as few as five domestic players despite securing a playoff berth last season.

LA Knight Riders have finally addressed long-standing performance issues after three difficult seasons. The franchise released top domestic draft pick Adithya Ganesh, who featured in just one game over two years. Nitish Kumar, who showed flashes but failed to deliver consistently, has also been moved on, with the team choosing instead to invest in Saif Badar’s potential.

Seattle Orcas, who have endured a similarly lean run, have taken a measured approach by retaining their core. Apart from the forced absence of Aaron Jones due to his ICC suspension, only Steven Taylor and Sujith Nayak are departing, leaving the rest of the squad intact.

Texas Super Kings’ decision to move on from Zia-ul-Haq raised eyebrows, given his role as a consistent bowling spearhead over the past three seasons. Other notable releases include Freedom’s Justin Dill, MI New York’s Ehsan Adil, and Unicorns’ Carmi le Roux.