Kolkata Knight Riders enter the IPL 2026 with a remaining purse of 64.3 crore and thirteen open slots, six of which are for overseas players. The team is coming off a disappointing season in which they did not reach the playoffs, and they are now preparing for a major squad reshaping.
KKR have kept their core group together, including players like Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Umran Malik.
At the same time, they have released several big names such as Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, besides Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, and Mayank Markande, who has been traded out.
Andre Russell’s release ended one of the longest and most important player–franchise relationships in the league. Russell is 37 and had retired from international cricket in July, playing only T20s after the 2019 World Cup. He was the Player of the Tournament in 2019 and a key member of the team’s title-winning squads in 2014 and 2024. He also won sixteen Player-of-the-Match awards for the franchise, second only to Sunil Narine.
Multiple teams were interested in trading for Russell, but KKR decided not to make a trade and instead released him. With a purse of 64.30 crore, they now have the financial space to rebuild and could even attempt to buy Russell back at the auction if the price suits them. In the 2025 season, he scored 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72, including a fifty. However, his bowling performance declined, as he took eight wickets in nine innings at an economy rate of nearly twelve.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eyeing Players at IPL 2026 Auction
Kolkata Knight Riders are entering the IPL 2026 auction with clear targets as they try to rebuild after a weak 2025 season. They are searching for a wicketkeeper, a captain option, and a strong Indian batsman.
KKR is also looking closely at Cameron Green. With Andre Russell near the end of his career, Green is seen as a long-term replacement. Russell had been with the team since 2014 and was considered one of the greatest T20 all-rounders in the world. He had been retained for the 2025 mega auction for 12 crore, but the franchise has now chosen to move on. This is one of the biggest decisions of the 2026 retention window, especially because Russell is one of only two players in IPL history with more than 2000 runs and 100 wickets.
As KKR has freed up money by releasing expensive contracts like Venkatesh Iyer and Anrich Nortje, they have become open to nearly 30 crore, which makes a big bid for Green possible. Green has already played for RCB and MI, scoring 707 runs and taking 16 wickets in 29 IPL matches.
Mark Chapman is another player in their sight. Their 2025 campaign was hampered by the starts of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock, but Chapman’s strong international record makes him a reliable top-order option.
FAQs
Q. For the 2026 Indian Premier League, which players did KKR release?
A. KKR released Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Spencer Johnson, and Venkatesh Iyer. Mayank Markande was moved out through a trade to the Mumbai Indians.
Q. Who is the captain of KKR in IPL 2026?
A. Ajinkya Rahane is the captain of KKR for the 2026 season.
Q. What is the purse available to KKR for IPL 2026?
A. KKR will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a purse of ₹64.3 crore.
Q. Was Andre Russell released from KKR?
A. Yes. Andre Russell was released by KKR after being with the franchise since 2014.
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