Bengaluru, December 8, 2025: The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), India’s pioneering tennis-ball T10 tournament, has announced its list of retained players, including last edition’s stars Abhishek Dalhor of Majhi Mumbai (retained for ₹26.65 lakh) and Jagannath Sarkar of Chennai Singams (retained for ₹20.02 lakh), as franchises look to form strong squads ahead of the highly anticipated Season 3 Player Auction scheduled for Tuesday in Mumbai.

For the first time, ISPL has introduced a player retention system, allowing each franchise to secure one key performer ahead of the auction. This new structure brings an added layer of strategy to Season 3, making the upcoming bidding process more competitive and impactful.

Abhishek Dalhor was one of the standout performers of the previous edition, delivering crucial contributions in high-pressure moments. His growth has now been recognised at the IPL level with his selection as a net bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025, underlining ISPL’s role as a platform for talent progression. Jagannath Sarkar, meanwhile, emerged as a dependable top-order force for Chennai Singams, anchoring chases, accelerating when required, and repeatedly lifting his team in high-stakes games.

Other key players retained for the upcoming season include Bhavesh Pawar from Tiigers of Kolkata (retained for ₹11.05 lakh) and Mansoor KL from Falcon Risers Hyderabad (retained for ₹4.5 lakh). These players delivered consistent, impactful performances for their respective sides, and their retention underscores the franchises’ confidence in them as central figures in their Season 3 strategies.

ISPL is backed by a strong leadership group featuring Core Committee Members Sachin Tendulkar, Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale and Suraj Samat, whose collective vision has been central to the league’s rapid rise, scale and popularity.

Suraj Samat, ISPL Core Committee Member and League Commissioner, said: “Introducing player retentions for the first time marks an important step in the evolution of the ISPL. These strategic decisions enhance competitive balance and build excitement for the Season 3 auction. With increased team purses, new franchises joining, and 408 players from 101 cities in contention, the stage is set for teams to assemble formidable line-ups that will elevate the sport to the next level.” 

“The introduction of player retentions is an important step in the growth of ISPL. Our aim is to ensure smooth operations while giving teams and players a fair and competitive environment. With higher team purses, improved auction rules and two new franchises joining the league, Season 3 promises to be our most exciting season yet. We look forward to a well-organised auction that supports the continued progress of the ISPL,” added Dipak Chauhan, President, Operations.  

The upcoming Season 3 Player Auction in Mumbai introduces ground-breaking features, including the innovative “Googly Power” mechanism allowing sudden ₹1 lakh bid jumps, expanded team purses from ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore, and squad sizes increased to 18 players. With 408 players from 101 cities—categorized across six zones (U-19, West, East, Central, South, North) at a ₹3 lakh base price—and two Right to Match (RTM) cards per existing franchise, teams must include at least two U-19 players and ensure zonal representation for balanced squads.

The upcoming eight-team tournament is scheduled to take place in the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat from January 9 to February 6, 2026, with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season set to drive home a brand-new Porsche 911, adding an exciting new dimension to player recognition and motivation.

Reflecting the league’s rapid rise, this season sees the addition of two new franchises — Delhi Superheros led by Salman Khan and Ahmedabad Lions owned by Ajay Devgn. They join an illustrious line-up that includes Majhi Mumbai (Amitabh Bachchan), Tiigers of Kolkata (Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan), Srinagar Ke Veer (Akshay Kumar), Chennai Singams (Suriya), Bengaluru Strikers (Hrithik Roshan), and Falcon Risers Hyderabad (Ram Charan).

Fans can enjoy all the action of the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) Season 3 Auction live on the Star Sports Network and JioHotstar.

The list of retained players is as below:

Majhi Mumbai:

Retained Player: Abhishek Dalhor – ₹26.65 lakh

Purse Remaining: ₹1.23 crore

Chennai Singams:

Retained Player: Jagannath Sarkar – ₹20.02 lakh

Purse Remaining: ₹1.30 crore

Tiigers of Kolkata:

Retained Player: Bhavesh Pawar – ₹11.05 lakh

Purse Remaining: ₹1.39 crore

Falcon Risers Hyderabad:

Retained Player: Mansoor KL – ₹4.5 lakh

Purse Remaining: ₹1.46 crore

Delhi Superheros, Ahmedabad Lions, Srinagar Ke Veer and Bengaluru Strikers have a purse size of ₹1.5 crore.

Chennai’s defeat also confirmed KVN Bangalore Strikers as the fourth team in the play-offs, alongside Mumbai, Falcon Risers Hyderabad and Srinagar Ke Veer. Having registered four wins from their nine games in the season so far, Bangalore are assured of their place in the play-offs, irrespective of the outcome of their final league game against Tiigers of Kolkata on Monday.

In the play-offs, that start on Wednesday, Mumbai will face Hyderabad in the first qualifier before Bangalore lock horns with Srinagar in the Eliminator, the following day.

In between the matches, Nikhita Gandhi captivated the weekend crowd with her mesmerising voice and high-energy performance, making it an evening to remember.

Electing to field after winning the toss, Chennai were left to rue their decision as Mumbai piled on a mammoth total of 122 for 3 in their 10 overs. In reply, the Singams could only manage to post 98 for 6.

Mumbai were boosted by an unbeaten half-century by opener Mohammed Nadeem, who was the team’s top scorer on the day with 50 runs off 28 deliveries. His innings was studded with three boundaries and as many sixes. Nadeem received excellent support from his opening partner Rajat Mundhe, who scored 38 runs off 20 balls, hitting four sixes and a boundary along the way.

The duo put together an opening stand of 60 runs in just over five overs to give the Mumbai innings a rock-solid foundation.

Mohammad Zeeshan was the only Chennai bowler to taste some amount of success, returning figures of 2/15 in his two overs.

Chasing the formidable target, the Chennai batting line-up put up a brave fight as they attempted to take the fight to the rival camp with some aggressive batting. But the sheer weight of the rather daunting target proved to be a bit too much.

The jitters in the Chennai camp were evident early during their innings. The Singams were off to a poor start, losing their top order quite cheaply and were struggling at 24/3 in the fourth over.

Thereafter, Sumeet Dhekale led a strong fight back by the Singams, remaining unbeaten on 45 off 30 deliveries, powered by three boundaries and as many sixes However, that did not prove to be enough in the end.

Hyderabad beat Srinagar by 13 runs

Falcon Risers Hyderabad posted a healthy 77 for 7, revolved mainly around Aakash Jangid’s 24-ball 31 and some late order fireworks from Shreyash Kadam (11) and Sambhaji Patil (10 not out), after being asked to bat by Srinagar Ke Veer. Suvronil Roy starred for the bowling side, claiming impressive figures of 4/8 while Sahil Longale picked 2/13.

In reply, Srinagar lost in-form opener Sagar Ali for a rare duck, but fellow opener Akash Tarekar and Sanskar Dhyani steadied the ship taking calculative risks to reach 24/1 midway through their innings. However, Vishwajit Thakur (3/14) and Irfan Umair (3/13) pulled back things for the Hyderabad outfit, sharing six wickets between them to restrict Srinagar for 64/7.

On Monday, defending champions Tiigers of Kolkata will look to wrap up a rather ordinary season on a high in their face-off against KVN Bangalore Strikers. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

In between the matches, popular singer Palak Muchhal lit up the stage with her chart-topping numbers, adding a musical charm to the cricketing extravaganza.

Mumbai virtually batted their rivals out of the game by piling up a massive total of 120/4 in their 10 overs. Abhishek Kumar Dalhor turned out be the star of the day for Mumbai, top scoring with 40 runs off just 15 deliveries before returning excellent figures of 2-9.

Electing to field after winning the toss, the Strikers were left to rue their decision as Dalhor spearheaded the Majhi Mumbai innings with a whirlwind knock to lead his team to a daunting total. Dalhor’s unbeaten innings was studded with a boundary and 3 sixes. He also hit a Niner – the second of this season.

Opener Mohammed Nadeem had earlier ensured a good start to the Mumbai innings with 23 runs off 14 balls. He received good support from fellow opener Rajat Mundhe – who scored 17 off 14 – and the duo put together a steady opening partnership of 23 runs.

Facing an intimidating target, the Strikers were off to a flying start with opener Saroj Paramanik scoring 27 runs in the very first over. However, Mumbai hit back in the next over as Paramanik was dismissed by Ankur Singh. Paramanik scored 30 runs off just nine balls, hitting 2 boundaries and 3 sixes during his brief stay at the crease.

Pradeep Patil joined Ajaz Shaikhlal Bepari in the middle and the duo added 11 runs between them before the former attempted a risky shot to gift Ankur Singh his second wicket.

With the pressure and the ever increasing required run rate piling up, Sanjay Kanojjiya and Pradeep Patil became involved in a horrible mix-up, leading to the former being run out.

The rest of the Bangalore batting line up wilted under pressure, although the lower order did try to put up a brave fight.

Srinagar pip Chennai by 7 wickets

Asked to bat, Chennai Singams rode a flying start from the in-form Jagannath Sarkar, and handy contributions from Ketan Mhatre, Venkatachalapathi Vignesh and Jignesh Patel to put up a formidable 108/6 in their 10 overs. Opening the innings, Sarkar came up with a flamboyant 45 off 19 balls, laced with a boundary and four massive sixes, and more importantly held the innings together despite losing his partners. Vignesh came up with an equally vital 13-ball 21, containing three fours and a six to provide the late-order acceleration.

For Srinagar, Sahil Longale was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 2/8, while Suvronil Roy, Prajyot Ambhire, Dilip Binjwa and Raju Mukhiya chipped in with a wicket apiece.

In response, Sagar Ali and Dilip Binjwa overcame a shaky start to propel the Srinagar side over the line with a brilliant unbeaten stand of 58 runs, 42 of which came from the 50-50 Challenge Over from Mohammed Zeeshan. Sagar, who has been in superb form throughout the season, was happy to take the back seat once Binjwa arrived in the middle and started his knock with a six. In the end, Srinagar got home with fours balls to spare as Sagar remained unbeaten on 49 off 31 balls, laced with two fours and three sixes, while Dilip went back undefeated after scoring a 10-ball 26, powered by a couple of sixes and fours.

On Friday, Falcon Risers Hyderabad will take on Tiigers of Kolkata in the first contest before Srinagar Ke Veer face Majhi Mumbai in the second match of the evening. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

Chasing a stiff target of 88 runs, the Strikers swept past the victory post with ease, losing just one wicket along the way and 2.4 overs to spare.

Bepari was the top-scorer with 47 runs off just 28 balls. His innings included five boundaries and two sixes. Paramanik remained unbeaten on 26 runs off 16 balls, with 1 boundary and 2 sixes.

The duo made short work of the seemingly challenging target as they navigated the Chennai bowling with ease, putting together an opening stand of 83 runs.

By the time, Bepari was caught near the boundary while going for another big shot, the issue was almost decided in the Strikers’ favour.

Earlier, Sumeet Dhekale plundered 40 runs off 25 deliveries to propel Chennai Singams to a challenging total of 87/5. Dhekale’s unbeaten stay at the crease was studded with four hits to the fence.

The Singams were off to a poor start as opener Jagannath Sarkar was sent back to the dugout by Farman Khan before even a single run had been scored. With Prashant Gharat also losing his wicket in the third over, Chennai were in trouble at 16-2.

However,  Sumeet Dhekale joined Ketan Mhatre in the middle and the duo brought the innings back on track with a 28-run stand. Mhatre scored 20 runs off 18 balls and provided much needed stability at one end even as Dhekale tried to increase the run rate from the other.

In the other match of the evening, Falcon Risers Hyderabad will face Majhi Mumbai. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

Chasing a target of 65 runs, the Singams broke little sweat as they eased across the finishing line with 2.5 overs to spare.

Opener Ketan Mhatre laid the foundation of the successful chase, blowing away the Hyderabad bowling attack with a batting blitzkrieg which saw him plunder 35 runs off a mere 12 deliveries, smashing a couple of boundaries and four towering hits into the stands along the way.

After Mhatre’s dismissal, fellow opener Jagannath Sarkar led the Chennai innings with 23 runs off 17 deliveries before Prashant Gharat brought up the victory in style with a boundary.

Earlier, electing to bowl first, Chennai saw their decision pay rich dividends almost instantly as Anurag Sarshar dismissed Prabjot Singh in the very first over.

With Liton Sarkar joining star opener Kisan Satpute at the crease, the duo started the daunting task of bringing the innings back on track and help Hyderabad recover from the disastrous start. They stitched together a partnership of 28 runs before Kisan misread the bounce of a delivery by Venkatachalapathi Vignesh only to see the lower edge crash into the stumps.

Sarkar emerged as the top scorer for the Falcons with 18 runs off 13 deliveries while Kisan got 10 off 12. Vishwajit Thakur (11) and Parveen Kumar (10) also played useful knocks lower down the order to take the Falcons to 64-9 in their 10 overs.

Mohammad Zeeshan was the most successful among the Chennai bowlers with figures of 3-13.

In the second match of the evening, Srinagar ke Veer will take on Tiigers of Kolkata. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

Chasing a target of 69 runs, the Falcons did not break too much sweat, going past the post with three overs to spare, losing just two wickets along the way.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Chennai Singams didn’t enjoy the best of starts with opener Ketan Mhatre returning to the dug out in the very first over. The other opener Jagannath Sarkar pummelled the Hyderabad bowlers with some powerful hitting, smashing 22 runs off just 8 deliveries before being run out due to an unfortunate bit of miscommunication with Prashant Gharat.

Sarkar’s brief stay at the crease turned out to be the only time the Singams managed to dominate the Falcons bowling attack with their other batters failing to live up to the challenge.

Gharat himself did not last long, falling victim to a bouncer by Vicky Bhoir as Padmesh Mhatre collected an easy catch.

Despite managing to survive the two Tape Ball overs (3rd and 5th) from Vishwajit Thakur, the Men-in-Yellow succumbed to the pressure that started to build up as wickets tumbled at regular intervals. To make matters worse, the Singams did not manage to score the minimum requirement of 10 runs during the 50-50 over, with three runs being deducted from their total.

In reply, the Falcons’ chase was off to a steady start with openers Padmesh Mhatre and Kisan Satpute keeping the scoreboard ticking along at a steady pace.

Chennai did have a ray of when Satpute and Shreyash Kadam were dismissed in the space of just three balls, but Hyderabad soon regained the upper hand with skipper Sambhaji Patil joining Mhatre in the middle to bring up the victory in style.