He has 61 wickets from 48 matches in the IPL.
The upcoming mini auction could witness some records being broken, given the stars that have been left out of the IPL 2026 retention list by the franchises. Anrich Nortje was one of the names who found himself in the KKR released players 2026.
Complete IPL 2026 Retention List, Released Players, and Remaining Purse Status
The South African speedster was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the mega auction for INR 6.50 crore. But he had a disappointing campaign amidst struggles with fitness. He played only two games in the season, leaking 83 runs in seven overs for a solitary wicket. It was no surprise that he was left out of the KKR retention list 2026.
Nortje recently made a successful return from injury, picking up eight wickets from four games in the CSA T20 Challenge at an economy of just 6.12. At his best, Nortje has proven to be a hard bowler to deal with for batters. He still has good value, and franchises will go after him.
Let’s take a look at three teams that could target Anrich Nortje in the IPL 2026 auction.
The CSK released players 2026 list had one shocking name – Matheesha Pathirana. He was their premier fast bowler in the last three editions. They are likely to try to re-sign him, but if they don’t get him, Anrich Nortje would be the perfect replacement.
The South African pacer could be among the CSK targets IPL 2026. He has the pace and experience, the latter is something the franchise values a lot. They have a remaining purse of INR 43.4 crore, and the only team with a higher purse is the one that released Nortje.
The LSG retention list 2026 has four overseas players, but no pace bowler. They had Shamar Joseph last season, and Will O’Rourke came in as a temporary replacement. LSG have secured the services of Mohammed Shami through a trade from Sunrisers Hyderabad.
However, the franchise could still look for at least one overseas pacer. Anrich Nortje would be a good asset for them alongside Shami, Mayank Yadav, and Mohsin Khan. The LSG remaining purse heading into the IPL 2026 auction reads INR 22.95 crore, which gives them a decent chance of acquiring Nortje.
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The RCB released players 2026 included two overseas stars in Lungi Ngidi and Liam Livingstone. The defending champions have two pacers in the squad in Josh Hazlewood and Nuwan Thushara. But given Hazlewood’s fitness issues, they might look for a better backup for him than Thushara.
As such, Anrich Nortje could be one of the RCB target players in the IPL 2026 auction. They have a pretty settled team and do not have many areas of concern. With INR 16.4 crore in the bank, RCB can go after the Proteas pacer.
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