KKR bought Cameron Green for INR 25.20 crore.
Kolkata Knight Riders went into the IPL 2026 auction with the highest purse and were naturally the most active franchise. They managed to secure some top-quality additions to the KKR squad for IPL 2026. However, overall, their auction performance was somewhat underwhelming, as they presented more issues than they had previously.
Heading into the mini auction with a budget of INR 64.3 crore, the three-time champions had several roles to fill. They splurged big amounts on a few players, including a record price for Cameron Green. The franchise added 13 players in the IPL 2026 auction, having retained 12 earlier.
After letting go of Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell, among others, ahead of the retention deadline, Kolkata Knight Riders had to bring in reinforcements. The auction table, led by KKR CEO Venky Mysore and coach Abhishek Nayar, did a decent job of bringing in marquee names.
The Knight Riders started the auction with a bidding war for Green, eventually acquiring him for INR 25.20 crore, making him the most expensive overseas player ever. They then bought Finn Allen for INR 2 crore before spending INR 18 crore on Matheesha Pathirana. Later, KKR splashed INR 9.20 crore to buy Mustafizur Rahman.
Knights Army, here’s your Class of 2026! 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/HOIfLMtAb5
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) December 16, 2025
Check out the full list of players bought by KKR at the IPL 2026 auction:
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With the purse advantage KKR had at the mini auction, they should have done a much better job of rebuilding their squad. Their closest threat, Chennai Super Kings, made countless tactical blunders and made KKR’s job easier, but they failed to capitalise on it.
Buying Green was a good start to the auction, but their very next pick was underwhelming. The Knight Riders needed a strong overseas keeper at the top of the order. Allen is destructive but has too many weaknesses and consistency issues. They doubled down on it with Tim Seifert, who has similar issues. On paper, they have two overseas keepers, but quality-wise, they left better options such as Ben Duckett, Jonny Bairstow, and Jamie Smith.
Kolkata also needed to strengthen their middle order after releasing Venkatesh. They tried to get him back, but did not push harder. Giving up at just INR 7 crore was a huge mistake, as he is still a high-potential left-hander. For Kartik Sharma, they pushed till INR 12.80 crore. Getting the wicket-keeper batter could have solved multiple issues for them.
In Pathirana, they secured a marquee pacer, but spending a fortune on a backup overseas pacer was again a big mistake. They could have used that budget to add someone like Liam Livingstone, who could’ve provided more power in the lower middle order.
As a result of a muddled auction, the KKR squad has several concerns for the next edition. Lack of quality overseas keeper at the top could repeat the same nightmares from the previous season. They also have a weak lower middle order as the franchise is planning to bat Green in the top three. Too many unproven domestic batters is also an issue. Pathirana isn’t quite an all-phase bowler, and Kolkata Knight Riders missed a trick by not getting someone like Matt Henry.
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