They have won the title three times so far.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are one of the most decorated teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with three titles to their name. It is safe to say that the Knight Riders have made a couple of blunders in the last couple of years, including letting go of Shreyas Iyer. They appointed Ajinkya Rahane as the skipper for the 2025 edition, but the results did not go their way. The team finished eighth in the points table, having won just five of their 14 league games.
It is no surprise that the franchise finds itself in muddy waters. After the dismal show in the recent edition, the three-time IPL champions will be on the lookout for a young skipper who can stay with the franchise for a long duration. Sanju Samson is the frontrunner, and the franchise would love to have him in their ranks. But KKR will need a few backup options, provided the Rajasthan Royals star does not make it to Kolkata.
ABF
137/3
SKA
133/9
SLK
–
BR
–
DCDM
210/6
DVDM
211/9
Desert Vipers Development beat Dubai Capitals Development by 1 wickets
MIEDM
192/6
GGDM
155/5
SWDM
–
ADKRDM
–
GGDM
–
DCDM
–
NDT
69/1
CDK
167/8
New Delhi Tigers beat Central Delhi Kings by 9 wickets (D/L) method
SDS
–
WDL
–
PD
–
CDK
–
SDSW
121/8
CDQW
120/8
South Delhi Superstarz Women beat Central Delhi Queens Women by 1 run
ROM
129/6
CZR
133/7
Czech Republic beat Romania by 3 wickets
ROM
143/4
CZR
155/3
Czech Republic beat Romania by 12 runs
ROM
93/4
CZR
92/8
Romania won by 6 wickets
AUST
155/6
BEL
154/10
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
AUST
146/6
BEL
144/9
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
BAC
–
UCCB
–
LKLS
–
ACB
–
UCCB
–
ACB
–
BAC
–
UCCB
–
LKLS
–
ACB
–
DURH
300/8
BB
303/6
Birmingham Bears beat Durham by 4 wickets
NOR
189/10
MID
192/6
Middlesex beat Northamptonshire by 4 wickets
KENT
269/9
SOM
270/6
Somerset won by 4 wickets
ESS
289/10
GLO
159/10
Essex beat Gloucestershire by 130 runs
SUSS
284/9
YOR
286/4
Yorkshire beat Sussex by 6 wickets
LEI
312/9
WOR
328/10
Worcestershire won by 16 runs
HAM
341/7
DER
339/5
Hampshire beat Derbyshire by 3 wickets
NOT
279/9
SURR
289/8
Surrey beat Nottinghamshire by 10 runs
QAT
243/2
KNY
242/8
Qatar beat Kenya by 8 wickets
PNG
148/10
KWT
149/6
Kuwait beat Papua New Guinea by 4 wickets
JER
–
DEN
–
GER-W
44/8
IRE-W
223/1
Ireland Women beat Germany Women by 179 runs
ITA-W
86/9
NED-W
90/3
Netherlands Women beat Italy Women by 7 wickets
KRMPS
109/7
SBSCC
79/6
ACE KRM Panthers beat SBS CC by 30 runs
BNC
46/9
KUMS
74/6
Kuwait Swedish beat Bader & Nie Cricket Club by 28 runs
CAGS
174/3
ATR
173/7
Calicut Globstars beat Adani Trivandrum Royals by 7 wickets
KBTS
237/6
ARKS
236/5
Kochi Blue Tigers beat Aries Kollam Sailors by 4 wickets
ARKS
–
TTS
–
ALRS
–
ATR
–
BNB
146/9
MGD
149/1
Mangalore Dragons won by 9 wickets
SML
181/7
MYW
180/6
Shivamogga Lions Won by 3 wickets
SML
–
HBT
–
MGD
–
GBM
–
YSG
128/10
ROS
133/3
Royal Oman Stallions beat Yallah Shabab Giants by 7 wickets
MAT
134/3
RNC
132/4
Majees Titans beat Renaissance Challengers by 7 wickets
RNC
–
ROS
–
MUT
–
IAI
–
AUS
431/2
SA
155/10
Australia won by 276 runs
IPS
116/10
TMB
119/2
Toombul beat Ipswich by 8 wickets
SBB
2/0
WSS
–
SGR
149/5
WYN
148/10
Sandgate Redcliffe beat Wynnum Manly by 5 wickets
RLS
173/6
SSC
158/10
Redlands beat Sunshine Coast by 15 runs
GCT
133/7
UOQ
132/8
Gold Coast beat University of Queensland by 3 wickets
NSBB
187/8
VLLY
232/4
Valley beat Northern Suburbs by 45 runs
NSBB
–
GCT
–
WEF
150/6
TRR
152/7
Trent Rockets beat Welsh Fire by 3 wickets
MAO
109/7
BIP
113/3
Birmingham Phoenix beat Manchester Originals by 7 wickets
OVI
–
LOS
–
WFW-W
122/9
TRW-W
145/6
Trent Rockets Women beat Welsh Fire Women by 23 runs
MOW-W
95/10
BIP-W
111/3
Birmingham Phoenix Women beat Manchester Originals Women by 16 runs
OIW-W
–
LSW-W
–
CHK
130/10
AS-A
131/4
Adelaide Strikers Academy beat Chicago Kingsmen by 6 wickets
PS
107/10
PSA
155/8
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs
AS-A
190/6
PSA
205/2
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Adelaide Strikers Academy by 15 runs
MEMA
184/7
NOSK
143/9
Meerut Mavericks beat Noida Super Kings by 41 run
KARS
187/4
LUF
168/7
Kashi Rudras beat Lucknow Falcons by 19 runs
KASS
–
MEMA
–
KARS
–
GOLS
–
And hence, here are three players that the Kolkata Knight Riders might look to sign in the IPL 2026 auction.
The possible trade of Sanju Samson to KKR has been doing the rounds, with other teams also showing interest in the wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala. Having said that, Samson has a proven ability as a skipper. His teammates at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) rate him highly in terms of his decision-making and communication. Apart from his two years with the Delhi Capitals (DC), Samson has been with RR since 2013. Having led in 59 games for the Royals, Samson has an almost 50% win record. The Men in Pink were the runners-up in 2022 under the leadership of Samson.
The 30-year-old has a lot of cricket left in him. KKR can look at him from the captaincy perspective and can give him a couple of years to reap rewards from his role. This will solve a lot of problems for the three-time champions. A wicketkeeping captain, who is equally good with his batting in the top order, is a unique quality to have.
One of India’s heroes in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, KL Rahul, will also be on the radar of the Knight Riders. He was acquired by DC ahead of the last season after he decided to quit Lucknow Supergiants (LSG). Rahul was one of the best performers for the Capitals last season. He scored a mammoth 539 runs in just 13 games for the franchise with a highest score of 112*. It is unlikely that the Capitals will be willing to let go of a player of Rahul’s calibre, but one thing that can get him to wear purple and gold next season is the captaincy role.
After Samson, KL Rahul can be the right fit for the Knights in terms of a leadership role. His calm demeanour and leadership skills make him a frontrunner in the race. Though he seems to have enjoyed playing for his new franchise, captaincy might be the bait which pulls Rahul towards KKR. Moreover, the opening slot might be vacant if KKR release Quinton de Kock. KL Rahul, like Sanju Samson, knows his way with the gloves and can fill that spot with ease.
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The current Australian T20I skipper is one of the most explosive openers. Mitchell Marsh from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)would be a good trade in exchange for someone like de Kock or Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The 33-year-old has been really good with his decision-making for the Australian team. Having recently defeated the West Indies 5-0 in the T20I series and most recently, South Africa 2-1, Marsh will bring a balanced view to the dressing room. His age will also allow him to lead the franchise for two to three years, if not less. In the meantime, the Knights can groom someone like Rinku Singh for the captaincy role.
In IPL 2025, Marsh took the league by storm with 627 runs in 13 games for LSG. He scaled an average of 48.23 and struck at 163.70, his highest in the league so far. At the top of the order, Marsh can open with Sunil Narine to take the attack to the bowlers. His captaincy will also bring a different insight for KKR. The team has not had a foreign skipper since Eoin Morgan in 2021.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won by 7 wickets