They have the highest remaining purse among all teams.
The champions of the 2024 edition, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a disappointing campaign this year. As a consequence, they made some massive calls ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. It will now be interesting to see who will be among the KKR targets at the event on December 16.
The three-time champions opted to release Venkatesh Iyer, whom they had bought for INR 23.75 crore in the mega auction. They also let go of Andre Russell, who is now a member of the support staff. KKR also offloaded a few others, including Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, and Spencer Johnson. They will head into the mini auction with the remaining purse of INR 64.3 crore.
Kolkata Knight Riders had to release Venkatesh Iyer to correct their mistake from the mega auction. The India star could not live up to the expectations, partly because the management did not make the best use of him.
Looking at their current squad, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy are the only left hand batters in the squad. Two of them bat below number five while Narine isn’t a reliable option anymore. As such, one of the top KKR targets at IPL 2026 auction should be to find left-hand batters.
Let’s take a look at three left-hand batters that could be in the KKR targets at the mini auction.
Ben Duckett is the perfect player profile that the Knight Riders need. The Englishman is one of the best opening batters in the world, with an ability to take on both pace and spin. He is in the peak years of his career and can keep wickets, offering a great package.
Duckett has an average of 33 in the shorter format at a strike rate of 156. He would be a great fit at the top of the order for KKR, either alongside Ajinkya Rahane or Narine. He ticks all the boxes and should be among the KKR target players.
ALSO READ:
Tushar Raheja is another option that needs to be in the KKR targets. He is a wicket-keeper batter from Tamil Nadu who bats in the top order. He recently smashed 72 off 41 against Delhi in SMAT 2025.
Raheja had an excellent TNPL campaign this year, where he topped the batting charts. He smashed 488 runs from nine innings at an average of 61 while striking at 185. A top order wicket-keeper batter is just what they need and Raheja should be amongst the KKR targets.
Venkatesh Iyer had a poor season earlier this year but there were various factors behind it. He was used as a floater and often batted out of his best position, which is in the top order. He is still among the better players in the domestic circuit, especially from the player pool for the mini auction.
The franchise had released him in hopes that they can buy him back at a lesser price, and will certainly have him in the top KKR targets. With not many teams requiring a player type like him, the Knight Riders might just be able to succeed in it.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
