After finishing eighth last season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opted for improvement. They have roped in some top foreign stars ahead of the upcoming 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League and will be looking to bounce back strongly.
In the IPL 2026 mini-auction, KKR had the highest bid of Rs 64.30 crore. He retained only 12 players and released 10. When KKR's retention list for IPL 2026 came out, the two biggest highlights were the release of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and andre russell. KKR got Rs 23.75 crore from Iyer's release. On the other hand, KKR got another Rs 12 crore by bidding farewell to the Caribbean star.
During the mini-auction last month, KKR signed star Australian all-rounder Cameron Green as Russell's replacement. The three-time champions also secured the services of three New Zealand cricketers – Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra.
The seam-bowling department struggled for KKR in IPL 2025, failing to fill the void created by the release of Mitchell Starc. Enrique Nortje and spencer johnson Paving the way for Mathisha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman. However, the latter was recently released by the franchise, following BCCI instructions, amid rising political tensions between India and Bangladesh. KKR may choose a replacement for the Bangladeshi seamer, but they have not asked for anyone yet.
Among the new additions to the Kolkata-based franchise, there are some youngsters who are being waited on. Wicketkeeper Tejashwi Dahiya and left-arm mystery spinner Daksh Kamra are the players to keep an eye on. The Indian fast bowling team has been strengthened with the inclusion of Akash Deep and Karthik Tyagi.
Strength
The biggest strength of KKR is its excellent bowling attack. Last season, Spencer Johnson and Anrich Nortje failed to live up to expectations, and Harshit Rana And Vaibhav Arora had a lot of work to do alone. The spin-bowling pair of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine was excellent, but lacked support from the pace attack. However, in 2026, the inclusion of Mathisha Pathirana opens up a new dimension. If the Sri Lankan fast bowler finds form ahead of the tournament, he could be a key player in the death overs. Narine, Chakravarthy and Pathirana's 12 overs will be worth their weight in gold for the nights.
Last season, KKR lacked explosive top-order batsmen. However, they have worked on fine-tuning that aspect, with Finn Allen and Cameron Green striking at 174.91 and 151.07 respectively in the shortest format. These two legends of white-ball cricket can bat in the top three, making KKR a strong batting unit, at least on paper. If given a chance, players like Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra can also give a fast start.
weaknesses
KKR have an inexperienced middle order and no real finishers apart from them Rinku Singh. Rovman Powell could be an option, but whether he will get much playing time is questionable. A lot will depend on how Rinku plays this season. He has been in excellent form in domestic cricket for quite some time now and KKR will be hoping that he continues the same in the IPL.
Ramandeep Singh Impressed in his first season at KKR in 2024. However, IPL 2025 proved to be a disappointing campaign for him with the bat. Another player who can solve the Knights' middle-order issues is the talented Tejasvi Dahiya. However, it would not be right to expect too much from him in his first season in the cash-rich league.
opportunity
KKR leaving out Russell, the two-time MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the IPL, was a risky decision, especially ahead of the auction where there were not a lot of similar replacements available. However, he had an eye cameron green And managed to acquire his services for Rs 25.20 crore. He is one of the finest all-rounders of the modern era and could be an ideal replacement for Russell. If the 26-year-old is successful, KKR will be set to play at least a few more cycles as far as the seam-bowling all-rounder's role is concerned.
IPL 2026 will also give an opportunity to the young coaches of KKR to showcase their potential. Before the season, the Knights parted ways with Chandrakant Pandit and promoted Abhishek Nair to the role of head coach. While Dwayne Bravo remains as the mentor, Shane Watson and Tim Southee have joined as assistant coach and bowling coach respectively. All the players have immense experience of playing T20 cricket and IPL. He will try to guide the team to its fourth silverware in the upcoming season.
threats
Mathisha PathiranaHis form and fitness may be a matter of concern. After changing his action following injury, the lethal element has been missing from the Sri Lankan fast bowler's bowling. Although he is bowling fast, the line and length are poor on many occasions. Last season, he gave runs at an economy rate of 10.14. Usually when a bowler has to change his action it takes some time for him to return to his peak form. KKR will hope that by the time the IPL starts, Pathirana will have understood how to use his new action effectively and become a threat to the opposition batsmen, especially in the death overs.
Another area of concern for KKR is the absence of someone who can captain the team from the front. Ajinkya Rahane led the team last season, and while he finished as the leading run-getter for the franchise, some of his captaincy calls were questionable. Rahane was in tremendous form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season and the franchise can consider this and keep him as the captain for the upcoming season. There is also a possibility of Rinku Singh being given the responsibility of leadership, because he has performed well while leading Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders team for IPL 2026
Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya RahaneManish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakraborty, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Mathisha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Karthik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, Sarthak Ranjan, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Akash Deep, Rachin Ravindra.
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