Kolkata : Three-time Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders have announced their squad for IPL 2026, aiming to stage a strong comeback after a disappointing 2025 campaign. With the retention window closed, KKR have held on to their trusted core featuring Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, all-rounder Sunil Narine, rising pacer Harshit Rana, and strike-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, while reshaping the rest of the squad to address last season’s gaps. In a massive move, the side has released its seasoned all-rounder Andre Russell and star player Venkatesh Iyer.
The 37-year-old Russell was retained by KKR for Rs 12 crore and occupied one of the Rs 18 crore retention slots ahead of the mega auction last year, but his poor showing in IPL 2025 has seen the side release him.
In IPL 2025, Russell played 13 matches, scoring just 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.73. While his strike rate remained high, his overall impact dropped, making his position in the squad more vulnerable. With the ball, the player picked up 8 wickets.
Talking about Venkatesh, he was sold for a staggering Rs 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. The all-rounder could score just 142 runs at an average of 20.29 in 11 matches.
Here’s the newly announced Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2026 –
Retained Players: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Players Released: Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya.
KKR will enter the auction with mammoth amount of 64.30 crores.
