While the great Ravichandran Ashwin said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have managed to field a strong team in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, he wondered whether his former Indian teammate Ajinkya Rahane Will remain their captain.
Under Rahane's leadership, KKR finished eighth last season. Fans and experts questioned some of the decisions taken by Mumbai's experienced batsmen during IPL 2025, as KKR won only five out of the 14 matches played.
In a radical change, the KKR management entered the IPL 2026 mini-auction on Tuesday, December 16, with the highest purse of Rs 64.3 crore. They made some massive purchases, including star all-rounder Cameron Green and death over specialist Mathisha Pathirana. Among Indian players, Akash Deep and Rahul Tripathi were some of the famous faces signed by the three-time champions.
Apart from KKR, Ashwin believes that Rajasthan Royals, who added all-rounders Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja in exchange for Sanju Samson last month, also did well in the auction and added Ravi Bishnoi for Rs 7 crore.
“KKR has a great team, I don't know whether Ajinkya will lead or not. But, if he leads that team with composure, then that's one side. The other team is Rajasthan Royals, after making such big deals, you come to the auction and buy Ravi Bishnoi for Rs 7 crore. RR got ready in the auction, they are in an amazing position now,” Ashwin said in a video uploaded on his official YouTube channel.
“KKR did not chase Venkatesh Iyer, so I think Cameron Green will open the batting, while Rahane can either open or bat at No. 3. The biggest challenge for KKR is how they can get Pathirana back to his best. If they can manage to put pressure in Pathirana's overs with mystery spinners, how will the opponents score? KKR are one hell of a team,” the former India batsman said. The off spinner said.
Get every cricket update! Follow us,
Leave a Reply