The retention deadline for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction was on November 15, and all teams have now shared their list of retained and released players. The KKR retention list 2026 has also been announced, with Kolkata Knight Riders confirming the players they have decided to keep after a disappointing IPL 2025 season.
The KKR retention list 2026 includes some of their best Indian domestic players and overseas stars who performed well last season and have been retained by the franchise for another year.
Complete IPL 2026 Retention List, Released Players, and Remaining Purse Status
For the upcoming season, KKR have retained players they trust including their skipper Ajinkya Rahane and others who performed well in the last season. These names are part of the KKR retained players 2026 list. To free up space in the squad and add to their purse, they have also released some big names like Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell. The KKR released players 2026 list includes players who didn’t perform well last season, as the team won only five out of 14 matches in IPL 2025.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction, here’s a look at the KKR retained players 2026 list for the upcoming season.
| Players | Retained/Released | Purse + or – (INR) |
| Ajinkya Rahane | Retained | – 1.5 crore |
| Rinku Singh | Retained | – 13 crore |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Retained | – 3 crore |
| Ramandeep Singh | Retained | – 4 crore |
| Vaibhav Arora | Retained | – 1.80 crore |
| Sunil Narine | Retained | – 12 crore |
| Harshit Rana | Retained | – 4 crore |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Retained | – 12 crore |
| Umran Malik | Retained | – 75 lakh |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Released | +2 crore |
| Manish Pandey | Retained | – 75 lakh |
| Quinton de Kock | Released | + 3.60 crore |
| Anukul Roy | Retained | – 40 lakh |
| Moeen Ali | Released | + 2 crore |
| Rovman Powell | Retained | – 1.5 crore |
| Anrich Nortje | Released | + 6.5 crore |
| Spencer Johnson | Released | +2.80 crore |
| Chetan Sakariya | Released | +75 lakh |
| Mayank Markande | Trade | + 30 lakh |
| Luvnith Sisodia | Released | +30 lakh |
| Andre Russell | Released | +12 crore |
| Venkatesh Iyer | Released | +23.75 crore |
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya, Mayank Markande (traded), Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Luvnith Sisodia.
Here’s the full 2026 KKR players list after the retentions were finalised:
KKR took some big calls on the retention deadline day. While the KKR Retained Players 2026 had some of the loyal custodians of the franchise, the KKR released list also had some big names like Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, amongst others. Their decision to retain only 12 players while releasing 10 names is a clear indication that the three-time champions want to do an overhaul of the side.
The release of Venkatesh and Russell also freed up a considerable amount in the KKR budget. In fact, the KKR Remaining purse of INR 64.3 crores is the highest amongst all teams.
Let’s take a look at the Top 3 KKR targets for IPL 2026 auction.
Cameroon Green – With the release of Andre Russell, it is clear KKR wants to move on to a younger player in the same role. Cameron Green is one of the prime candidates for KKR who can fill the void by Russell and they will aggressively try to secure him in the auction.
Jordan Cox: The KKR auction 2026 strategy will include an overseas keeper, and one option could be the England youngster. They have earlier given Phil Salt a chance, who was a success, and Cox too, is capable of providing blistering starts. Other alternatives could be Ben Duckett, Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, and Jonny Bairstow.
Venkatesh Iyer – Although KKR released him, they might try to buy Venkatesh back at the auction. They did a similar thing last time only to splurge INR 23.75 crores but the move backfired as the 30-year-old failed to live upto the lofty price tag. However, the left-hander is a solid option to have in the batting order and provides stability and KKR might be looking to get him back at a cheaper rate.
KKR is going to be one of the busiest sides in the auction. Check every KKR Auction news here.
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Players who have made in KKR Retention list IPL 2026 are Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell and Umran Malik.
KKR released players 2026 list includes Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya, Mayank Markande (traded), Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Luvnith Sisodia.
Kolkata Knight Riders had issues in several areas last season and will aim to fix them after releasing a few players. They are likely to target a wicketkeeper-batter, an overseas pacer, and an Indian spinner in the IPL 2026 auction to strengthen their squad.
After including 12 players in the KKR retained players 2026 list and 11 players in the KKR released players 2026 list, Kolkata Knight Riders have INR 64.3 crores in the purse for IPL 2026 Auction and 13 slots remaining.
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