Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been preparing for a significant rebuild after having finished eighth in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League.
The franchise has struggled to find the right balance this season, especially after having released their 2024 title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer and having spent Rs 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer, a move that has not delivered the results they expected.
Hence, Venkatesh Iyer was released ahead of the auction, freeing up Rs 23.75 crore from their purse. They have also released all their wicketkeepers in the side, and also star South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje. They made only one trade, giving Mayank Markande to Mumbai Indians.
The biggest news however was the release of Andre Russell, who is a legend at the franchise.
With issues having emerged across several key departments, the two-time champions have now shifted their focus towards course correction. Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, KKR have aimed to free up funds, as they go into the auction with one of the biggest purses. They will be aiming to fill a lot of holes in the side.
KKR were reportedly in talks to get KL Rahul in a trade deal from Delhi Capitals, but the franchises refused to release the star in the last moment.
The franchise go into the auction with the biggest purse out of all the 10 franchises. They will have 13 slots to fill with Rs 63.4 crore. Hence, we can expect them to go for big names like Cameron Green.
Retained Players
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Shivam Shukla.
Retained Players
Anrich Nortje, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Mayank Markande (traded to MI), Chetan Sakariya, Quinton de Kock, Luvnith Sisodia, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Umran Malik, Andre Russell, Spencer Johnson