They finished at a lowly eighth in the points table with just five wins from 14 matches.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a difficult last season despite entering as defending champions. The three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners finished at a lowly eighth in the points table with just five wins from 14 matches. The Kolkata side faced a few issues in the lineup, which included struggles at the top of the batting order to their finishing, and their overseas pacers. Thus, with the IPL 2026 auction later this year, KKR will hope to address these concerns and plug the holes in a bid to return stronger for the next edition.
KKR, however, will be in a spot of bother, with quite a few names expected to be released and then to subsequently manage the budget to fill in the voids.
Evaluating the likely scenario of players released, let’s take a look at the probable purse value that KKR will have when they enter the IPL 2026 auction.
Before the IPL 2025 auction, KKR used all their six retention spots on Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana. Then, they went into the auction to build the squad around the core that won the title the previous year. While they managed to sign a few players back, they also missed a few of their targets.
| Player | Price |
| Venkatesh Iyer | INR 23.75 crore |
| Anrich Nortje | INR 6.5 crore |
| Quinton De Kock | INR 3.6 crore |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | INR 3 crore |
| Spencer Johnson | INR 2.8 crore |
| Moeen Ali | INR 2 crore |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | INR 2 crore |
| Vaibhav Arora | INR 1.8 crore |
| Ajinkya Rahane | INR 1.5 crore |
| Rovman Powell | INR 1.5 crore |
| Umran Malik replaced for season by Chetan Sakariya | INR 75 lakh |
| Manish Pandey | INR 75 lakh |
| Anukul Roy | INR 40 lakh |
| Luvnith Sisodia | INR 30 lakh |
| Mayank Markande | INR 30 lakh |
| Shivam Shukla | INR 30 lakh |
| Andre Russell | INR 12 crore |
| Rinku Singh | INR 13 crore |
| Sunil Narine | INR 12 crore |
| Varun Chakravarthy | INR 12 crore |
| Ramandeep Singh | INR 4 crore |
| Harshit Rana | INR 4 crore |
KKR has a somewhat settled core but will look to make a few key signings. Also, with a few underperformers and ageing stars in the roster, KKR is expected to release quite a few names from their squad. Ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction, here’s a look at the likely KKR Retention List:
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KKR broke the bank during the previous auction to buy back Venkatesh Iyer, but he failed to live up to the lofty price tag in IPL 2025. In 11 matches, the 30-year-old scored 142 runs at an average barely crossing 20. KKR might thus consider releasing Venkatesh ahead of the auction and look to buy him back at a cheaper price if available.
After letting go of Phil Salt following their IPL 2024 win and being unable to buy the Englishman back ahead of the last season, KKR decided to rope in Quinton de Kock to fill the vacancy. The Proteas slammed a blistering unbeaten 97* in only his second game for the franchise, but he failed to continue the momentum through the rest of the season. In the eight matches he played, QdK managed 152 runs at a subpar average of 21.71. KKR will thus look to release him and opt for someone who can deliver the goods consistently at the top of the batting order.
The 37-year-old had a disappointing IPL 2025, scoring only 167 runs in 13 matches at an average of 18.57, with just one fifty. With the ball, he took eight wickets at an average of 27.12 and an expensive economy of 11.94. Despite getting ample opportunities in the middle order, Russell failed to deliver again. Given his struggles with form, fitness, and consistency, KKR may release the star all-rounder before the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
Here’s a look at how the Kolkata Knight Riders will shape up after the likely retentions and releases:
Category: Retained
Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Luvnith Sisodia, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Umran Malik, and Mayank Markande.
Category: Released
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Shivam Shukla, and Chetan Sakariya.
If KKR release the above-mentioned players, they can free a considerable purse. A few of them earned big sums, and KKR can thus have a big purse, leading to the IPL 2026 auction. However, KKR are also strongly linked to a trade with Sanju Samson for IPL 2026, which would take away INR18 crore from their budget.
Final Purse Amount: INR 38.35 crore (approx)
Sanju Samson for Quinton de Kock: There are strong rumours that Sanju Samson is being traded out of the Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026. KKR, on the other hand, are on the lookout for a top-order wicketkeeper batter. Buying Sanju will also give them a solid captaincy option, something that the franchise is in dire need of.
Cameron Green for Andre Russell: The Aussie is one target after whom KKR might be willing to go big if they decide to release Andre Russell. The Aussie all-rounder can bat in the top five slots, can bowl a full quota of overs, and also has IPL experience.
Likely names include Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana.
Possible releases include Andre Russell, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, and Quinton de Kock.
KKR’s purse at the IPL 2026 auction could be around INR 38 crore.
