KKR Retention List for IPL 2026 Could Get Aggressive — Which Players Are Truly Safe?

The KKR retention list on the deadline day might see several big absentees after their abysmal performance in IPL 2025. Apart from CSK, they will also make a few notable changes in the mini auction, and among the KKR released players 2026 could be a few main figures. They had numerous loopholes, and their squad was imbalanced in various aspects.

At this stage, most players look under threat of losing their positions in the side, and a few big buys might not be among the KKR retained players 2026. The Knight Riders heavily relied on specific players, which didn’t work, and a few big calls are on the horizon. They need to be aggressive while finalising the KKR retention list 2026.

Which players might be in the KKR retention list for IPL 2026

Among the safest players might be Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana. These have been their consistent performer and bring what no other player in the squad does. The fact that KKR retained players 2026 list has only four certain options depicts their poor strategy in the mega auction.

The three-time champions retained Andre Russell for INR 12 crore, but he showed signs of regression and has not been the same force. They spent a whopping INR 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer and played him out of position while also not giving him the captaincy duties. Even Ramandeep Singh and Ajinkya Rahane would have liked to contribute a lot more.

Assuming it’s a mini auction and a few quality options will be available, KKR retained players 2026 might increase a bit since a complete revamp is arduous. So, they might also keep Ramandeep and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who is a fine young talent. However, others are surely far from certain to be retained, especially since KKR performed badly last season.

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Should Andre Russell or Venkatesh Iyer be among KKR retained players 2026?

Two of their biggest players – Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer – don’t deserve retention ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They are being paid more than they deserve and haven’t been utilised by the franchise well in the past couple of seasons. Russell is clearly declining and might not match IPL standards.

In IPL 2025, Russell scored 167 runs at an abysmal average of 18.55 and a strike rate of 163.72 in 10 outings, with a solitary fifty. He took eight wickets at 27.12 runs apiece in nine innings, but conceded 11.94 runs per over. Meanwhile, Venkatesh could only assemble 142 runs at 20.28 in seven innings and didn’t bowl at any stage.

If both are among the KKR released players 2026, they would free a massive INR 25.75 crore, which should be more than enough to get Cameron Green, who is clearly a better all-rounder than both at the moment. Green is also a long-term investment with ample batting and bowling value. His addition alone will boost KKR’s batting and bowling departments at the same time.

Big names who might be among the KKR released players 2026

Below are notable names, apart from Russell and Venkatesh, who might be among the KKR released players 2026 list.

• Ajinkya Rahane: The captain, Ajinkya Rahane, might be one of the most prominent players on the KKR released players 2026 list ahead of the auction. While he did reasonably well as a batter, Rahane still doesn’t fit in a modern T20 side, and KKR need to build for the future. With him, KKR will be tempted to continue as a captain, which blocks Raghuvanshi from opening the innings.

• Quinton de Kock: Quinton de Kock was the biggest reason why KKR had one of the weakest wicketkeeping-batter departments. He scored 152 runs at an average of 21.71 and a 129.91 strike rate in eight outings, including a fifty, in IPL 2025. KKR will want options like Tim Seifert in this section and will likely not include Quinton among the KKR retained players 2026.
• Vaibhav Arora: Vaibhav Arora has been with KKR since 2023. He did reasonably well initially, but the previous season proved to be expensive, even if he took wickets in patches. Vaibhav might not be in the KKR retention list because they might want to explore other options in the auction.

For the Knight Riders, the idea will be to upgrade their overall planning and look beyond their settled options in recent years. That will require them to put a few big players among the KKR released players 2026. They must enter the IPL 2026 auction with the maximum purse.

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