2026 became the year of retirement of cricketers…, these 11 stars including Mark Wood and Colin Ingram said goodbye

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Be it cricket, football or any other sport, the decision to retire is a very emotional and difficult decision for any player. It is not easy to say goodbye to the game after sweating on the field for years, but every player's journey definitely ends one day. Some players retire after playing for a long time, while some take this step at an early age. On September 22, two famous stars of the cricket world announced their retirement. These include England's star fast bowler Mark Wood and South Africa's aggressive batsman Colin Ingram, who made a special mark across the world with their game. If we look at the year 2026, it can also be called the year of retirement of cricket players. This year a total of 11 cricketers have taken retirement from international or professional cricket. Let us know about all those players who have said goodbye to their cricket career this year.

Mark Wood said goodbye to international cricket

England's star fast bowler Mark Wood is known for his lethal bowling and fast pace. He left his mark for England in all three formats of cricket (Test, ODI and T20). Talking about Wood's international career, he played 38 Tests, 70 ODIs and 38 T20 International matches. During this period, he took 119 wickets in his name in Test cricket. Whereas in both ODI and T20 International formats, he has taken 54-54 wickets.

Apart from international cricket, Wood also made his mark in IPL, where he took 11 wickets while playing only 5 matches. Mark Wood played his last international match in the year 2025, and now he has completely said goodbye to international cricket.

Colin Ingram also retired from cricket

Colin Ingram may not have played much international cricket for South Africa, but he has been a big name in T20 leagues around the world. He represented South Africa in 31 ODI and 9 T20 International matches. During this period he scored 843 runs in ODI cricket. Whereas in T20 International he scored 210 runs with his bat. He has also been a part of IPL, where he scored 205 runs in 15 matches. 41-year-old Ingram has announced his retirement from professional cricket after an illustrious journey spanning more than two decades. However, he will be seen playing on the field for the Glamorgan county team till the end of the current season.

Many star players took retirement in the year 2026

The year 2026 has been witness to big changes in the sports world, because during this time many star players said goodbye to the international stage or any particular format of the game. These legendary cricketers who have retired include players like India's Ajinkya Rahane, England's Ben Stokes, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Australia's Usman Khawaja and South Africa's Rassie Van der Dussen. Apart from this, Australian team's lethal fast bowler Mitchell Starc also announced his retirement from T20 International cricket this year.

1- Mark Wood- Said goodbye to international cricket

2- Colin Ingram- Will leave professional cricket at the end of this season

3- Ajinkya Rahane- Said goodbye to international cricket

4- Ben Stokes- Said goodbye to international cricket

5- Kane Williamson- Said goodbye to international cricket

6- KS Bharat- Said goodbye to international cricket

7- Vijay Shankar- Said goodbye to international cricket

8- Sarfaraz Ahmed- Said goodbye to international cricket

9- Rassie Van der Dussen- Said goodbye to international cricket

10- Usman Khawaja- Said goodbye to international cricket

11- Mitchell Starc- Retired from T20 International

Also read: 13-0 and now turn of 14th! Why does Team India become lion against West Indies? Know how she left Pakistan behind and became world number 1

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