At least for now, KKR looks like an unsettled unit. After the IPL 2026 retentions were announced a few days back, just by the looks of it, it seems that Kolkata would have a lot of work to do on the IPL 2026 auctions table, which are supposed to be held in mid December.
They perhaps took the right call to let all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer go, but still need to tick a lot of boxes. Firstly, there is uncertainty at the top of the order, plus lack of decent all-rounder in the team could be an issue as well — with the ouster of Andre Russell. InsideSport takes a look at the players that KKR should eye at IPL 2026 auction.
Players KKR should target at IPL 2026 auction
Including the additional 5 cr that the BCCI would be adding to each team’s purse, KKR have a massive purse of 64.30 cr. In that, they will have to form a batting and a bowling unit from scratch. They need an experienced foreign pacer in their ranks, plus a wicket-keeper batter, preferably a foreigner, who can take over the baton from Quinton de Kock.
Also, they need more all-rounders in the team, who provide them the desired combination. Not just that, if they don’t want to go with Ajinkya Rahane as the skipper, a potential captain is also something they would have to plan for.
| Player | Type |
|---|---|
| Matheesha Pathirana/Lungi Ngidi | Foreign fast bowler |
| Aryan Juyal/Josh Inglis | Indian/Foreign wicket-keeper |
| Wiaan Mulder/Cameron Green/Wanindu Hasaranga | All-rounder |
| Rajvardhan Hangargekar/Akash Deep/Mohit Sharma/Mohammed Shami | Indian fast bowler |
| Rahul Chahar/Ravi Bishnoi | Indian spinner |
Kolkata Knight Riders squad before IPL 2026 auction
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.
