Six Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Retain: The defending IPL champion will go into the next season in a tricky spot. While yes, they did win the league in what some would call an unexpected manner, several of the team’s major pieces are not in form. Also, mentor Gautam Gambhir, who was considered a major part of the team’s success, has now left as well.
The new IPl 2025 retention rules allow for six players to be retained, five of which can be capped while two can be uncapped. There is no limit to overseas players in the capped players retained list. It should also be noted that if a team does not use up all of its retention slots, they can use Right To Match (RTM) for one of their players in the auction. This also means that multiple players in this list can instead be retained via RTM.
The three-time IPL champions will look to become only the third franchise to win the league in consecutive years. For that to be the case, they would want to create a strong team following the auction, something they failed to do after the mega-auction of 2022.
Here are six players Kolkata Knight Riders should retain for IPL 2025.
Six Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Retain
1) Shreyas Iyer – 18 Crore
Ever since joining the Kolkata Knight Riders as the team captain in 2022, Shreyas Iyer’s numbers on the field have been fine. However, he has been a little underwhelming as a middle-order batter despite what his numbers say. But he is an IPL-winning captain, and nobody can take that away from him.
Iyer is still one of the highest-regarded batters in the country, even though he is out of the national team. And the team missed him dearly in the 2023 season, for which he was out with an injury. A captain with a proven record in the IPL, Iyer has now done well with two franchises as their captain, having taken the Delhi Capitals to their only final in 2020.
A solid Indian batsman who is a great skipper—these are the kind of players who the teams look to not only keep but build their teams around. And KKR will keep Shreyas Iyer in their ranks as their IPL-winning captain.
2) Rinku Singh – 14 Crore
We are seeing an influx of world-class talent into the Indian team like never before. It seems that every few weeks we see another superstar in the conversation of the national team. But there might not be a more promising batter, especially in T20s, that India has seen in the last decade than Rinku Singh.
Rinku has everything a team would want from their middle-order batter. He has shown that he can hold onto one end of the crease when the team is falling apart while still keeping his run rate up. And in today’s environment of explosive batting being the norm in T20 cricket, the UP-based batter still stands out with his ability to score quick runs. Rinku Singh has also shown an ability to perform under pressure. Who could forget the time he hit five sixes on the last five balls of a match to win KKR a game?
While Shreyas Iyer will likely be retained at the top spot because of his successful year as an IPL captain, it is Rinku Singh who will be retained as the team’s most exciting batsman.
Check Out: Six Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Retain
3) Phil Salt – 11 Crore
Phil Salt had a magnificent year as the opener of the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. In the 12 matches he played, the English wicketkeeper scored 435 runs with an average of almost 40 and a strike rate of 182. But more importantly, he formed an opening partnership with Sunil Narine that revolutionised the league and how teams thought about scoring runs this season.
Salt is also a solid keeper who provides the team with a lot more than just being the man behind the stumps. Having a wicketkeeper who can score consistent runs is a big piece of the puzzle for any successful team, and Phil Salt has shown he can be that man for KKR.
4) Sunil Narine – 18 Crore
The most valuable player of IPL 2024, Sunil Narine, is arguably the best season for an individual in the IPL ever. For over a decade now, the West Indian all-rounder has been among the league’s elite bowlers. A few years ago, team management discovered that he could also be used as a slogger at the top of the order. But teams eventually found a way to neutralise Narine the batter.
But in 2024, not only was Sunil one of the best spinners in the IPL, but he also staked the claim of being the best opener in the league as well. In the 14 matches he played, Sunil Narine scored 488 runs at a strike rate of over 180, even scoring his first-ever 100 in professional cricket. Narine revolutionised top-order batting in the IPL alongside Phil Salt this season. He also took 17 wickets in the league.
Check Out: Six Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Retain
5) Andre Russell- 14 Crore
Andre Russell is an absolute legend of T20 cricket. He is also one of the greatest all-rounders in IPL history. It was his coming back to form that played a big role in Kolkata Knight Riders winning the league. An absolute beast with the bat who can bowl a few overs, it was his bowling that made all the difference this season. In the 15 games he played, the West Indian took 19 wickets, which is the joint fourth-highest tally in the league.
That is not to say that he did not fire with the bat. One of the best lower-middle-order batters in T20 cricket scored 222 runs with an average of 30 and a strike rate of 185 this season. While that run-tally might seem low. But we must remember how absolutely brilliant KKR’s top order was this season, resulting in those in the lower order not getting much time with the bat.
6) Harshit Rana (Uncapped) – 4 Crore
Having shown signs of potential in the limited game time he received in 2023, Harshit Rana was made a regular part of the team this season, and it was the correct decision. The Delhi-based pacer was a revelation this season, taking 19 wickets in 12 games to be the fourth-joint-highest wicket-taker in the league.
Harshit Rana doesn’t only have the pace but also the accuracy that can make him an all-format player. But for now, he is a young and promising Indian pacer. These are the kinds of players franchises empty their coffers for. So Kolkata Knight Riders must do everything in their power to keep a hold on him.
The only issue with planning to retain him as an uncapped player is that it is being reported that Rana will be in the India squad for the upcoming 20Is against Bangladesh. If he plays even a single game in that series, he will no longer be an uncapped player.
Check Out: Six Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Retain
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