2026 Kolkata Knight Riders season

Last updated
Kolkata Knight Riders
2026 season
Coach Abhishek Nayar
Captain Ajinkya Rahane
Ground(s) Eden Gardens, Kolkata
← 2025 2027 →

The 2026 edition will be the 19th appearance for the three-time Indian Premier League winning-franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. They are one of the ten teams that will compete in the 2026 Indian Premier League. The team finished in the eighth position in the previous season's league stage.

Contents

Pre-season

Players trade

During the trade window period, Indian spinner Mayank Markande was traded from Kolkata Knight Riders to Mumbai Indians. [1]

Traded players
DateNameNationalityToSalary
15 November 2025
 Mayank Markande Flag of India.svg  India Mumbai Indians ₹30 lakh (US$35,000)

Player retention and releases

The retentions were announced on 15 November 2025. [2] Kolkata Knight Riders retained a total of 12 players. [3] Big names such as Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, along with seven other players, were released before the auction. [4]

Retained players [5]
No.PlayerSalaryNo.PlayerSalary
35 Rinku Singh ₹ 13 crore (US$1.5 million)14 Vaibhav Arora ₹ 1.8 crore (US$210,000)
74 Sunil Narine ₹ 12 crore (US$1.4 million)3 Ajinkya Rahane (c) ₹ 1.5 crore (US$180,000)
29 Varun Chakravarthy ₹ 12 crore (US$1.4 million)52 Rovman Powell ₹ 1.5 crore (US$180,000)
22 Harshit Rana ₹ 4 crore (US$470,000)9 Manish Pandey ₹ 75 lakh (US$89,000)
19 Ramandeep Singh ₹ 4 crore (US$470,000)24 Umran Malik ₹ 75 lakh (US$89,000)
18 Angkrish Raghuvanshi ₹ 3 crore (US$350,000)45 Anukul Roy ₹ 40 lakh (US$47,000)
Released players [6]
Wicket-keepers All-rounders Fast bowlers Spin bowlers
  • Shivam Shukla

Retirement

In the midst of confusion over release and achieving a high auction price, on 3 December 2025, Andre Russell declared his retirement from the Indian Premier League, concluding his 12-year career with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. [7]

Retired players
DateNameNationalityAgeTenure with KKR
30 November 2025
 Andre Russell Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
37
2014-2025 (12 years)
Cameron Green became the league's most expensive player for an impressive Rs25.20 crore (US$3.0 million). Cameron Green fielding Boxing Day 2022 (cropped).jpg
Cameron Green became the league's most expensive player for an impressive ₹25.20 crore (US$3.0 million).

Auction summary

The mini-auction took place on 16 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [8] Kolkata entered with the highest purse in the 2026 auction - ₹64.30 crore (US$7.6 million), with 13 slots to fill (including 6 overseas slots). [9] They bought Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for a whopping ₹25.20 crore (US$3.0 million), their most expensive buy in IPL history. Green also clinched the record for the league's most expensive foreign player, surpassing Mitchell Starc's record of ₹24.75 crore (US$2.9 million). [10] They also bought Sri lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana for a staggering price of ₹18.00 crore (US$2.1 million). [11] The team filled all its 13 remaining slots with ₹45 lakh (US$53,000) left. [12]

Auction summary of Kolkata Knight Riders
TeamRetainedBoughtOverall
CappedUncappedTotalCappedUncappedTotalCappedUncappedTotal
Kolkata Knight Riders
9
3
12
8
5
13
17
8
25

Squad

Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the 2026 Indian Premier League [13]
No.NameNationalityBirth dateBatting styleBowling styleYear signedSalaryNotes
Captain
3
 Ajinkya Rahane Flag of India.svg  India 6 June 1988 (aged 37)Right-handedRight-arm medium 2025₹1.5 crore (US$180,000)
Batters
35
 Rinku Singh Flag of India.svg  India 12 October 1997 (aged 28)Left-handedRight-arm off-break 2018₹13.0 crore (US$1.5 million)
18
 Angkrish Raghuvanshi Flag of India.svg  India 5 June 2004 (aged 21)Right-handedRight-arm off-break 2024₹3.0 crore (US$350,000)
9
 Manish Pandey Flag of India.svg  India 10 September 1989 (aged 36)Right-handedRight-arm medium 2024₹75 lakh (US$89,000)
52
 Rovman Powell WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies 23 July 1993 (aged 32)Right-handedRight-arm medium 2025₹1.5 crore (US$180,000)Overseas
 Rahul Tripathi Flag of India.svg  India 2 March 1991 (aged 35)Right-handedRight-arm medium 2026₹75 lakh (US$89,000)
 Rachin Ravindra Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 18 November 1999 (aged 26)Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox 2026₹2.0 crore (US$240,000)Overseas
Wicket-keepers
 Finn Allen Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 22 April 1999 (aged 26)Right-handedRight-arm off-break 2026₹2.0 crore (US$240,000)Overseas
 Tejasvi Singh Flag of India.svg  India 18 April 2002 (aged 23)Right-handedN/a2026₹3.0 crore (US$350,000)
 Tim Seifert Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 14 December 1994 (aged 31)Right-handedN/a2026₹1.5 crore (US$180,000)Overseas
All-rounders
74
 Sunil Narine WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies 26 May 1988 (aged 37)Left-handedRight-arm off-break 2012₹12.0 crore (US$1.4 million)Overseas
45
 Anukul Roy Flag of India.svg  India 30 November 1998 (aged 27)Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox 2022₹40 lakh (US$47,000)
19
 Ramandeep Singh Flag of India.svg  India 13 April 1997 (aged 28)Right-handedRight-arm medium 2024₹4.0 crore (US$470,000)
 Cameron Green Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 3 June 1999 (aged 26)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2026₹25.2 crore (US$3.0 million)Overseas
 Sarthak Ranjan Flag of India.svg  India 25 September 1996 (aged 29)Right-handedRight-arm leg-break 2026₹30 lakh (US$35,000)
 Daksh Kamra Flag of India.svg  India 9 January 2003 (aged 23)Right-handedRight-arm leg-break 2026₹30 lakh (US$35,000)
Pacers
22
 Harshit Rana Flag of India.svg  India 22 December 2001 (aged 24)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2022₹4.0 crore (US$470,000)
14
 Vaibhav Arora Flag of India.svg  India 14 December 1997 (aged 28)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2023₹1.8 crore (US$210,000)
24
 Umran Malik Flag of India.svg  India 22 November 1999 (aged 26)Right-handedRight-arm fast 2025₹75 lakh (US$89,000)
 Matheesha Pathirana Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 18 December 2002 (aged 23)Right-handedRight-arm fast 2026₹18.0 crore (US$2.1 million)Overseas
 Kartik Tyagi Flag of India.svg  India 8 November 2000 (aged 25)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2026₹30 lakh (US$35,000)
 Akash Deep Flag of India.svg  India 15 December 1996 (aged 29)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2026₹1.0 crore (US$120,000)
 Mustafizur Rahman Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 6 September 1995 (aged 30)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium 2026₹9.2 crore (US$1.1 million)Overseas
Spinners
29
 Varun Chakravarthy Flag of India.svg  India 29 August 1991 (aged 34)Right-handedRight-arm leg-break 2020₹12.0 crore (US$1.4 million)
 Prashant Solanki Flag of India.svg  India 22 February 2000 (aged 26)Right-handedRight-arm leg-break 2026₹30 lakh (US$35,000)

Administration and support staff

Abhishek Nayar took over as the team's head coach after Chandrakant Pandit's three-year contract ended. [14] Shane Watson replaced Ottis Gibson as the team's assistant coach. [15] Tim Southee replaced Bharat Arun and Carl Crowe as the bowling coach. [16] Andre Russell was appointed as the power coach of the team, a unique role in franchise cricket. [17]

PositionNamePositionName
Owner Shah Rukh Khan (RCE)
Jay Mehta (Mehta Group)		CEO and MD Venky Mysore
Head coach Abhishek Nayar Mentor Dwayne Bravo
Assistant coach Shane Watson Team managerWayne Bentley
Bowling coach Tim Southee Power coach Andre Russell
PhysiotherapistPrasanth PanchadaStrength and
Conditioning coach		 Chris Donaldson
AnalystNathan LeamonMassage TherapistSubhajit Das
Assistant PhysioAshok SawantAsst. Strength and
Conditioning coach		Sagar VM
Source: KKR Staff

Sponsors

Following the departure of Dream11, which was primarily due to the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders announced Vida EV, a subsidiary of Hero MotoCorp, as their new title partner for the next three years. [18]

Kit manufacturerShirt sponsor (front)Shirt sponsor (back)Chest Branding
SIX5SIX Vida EV BKT RR Kabel
Source: kkr.in

League Stage

Points table

PosGrpTeam
PldWLNRPts NRR Qualification
1 Chennai Super Kings 00000—Advanced to Qualifier 1
2 Delhi Capitals 00000—
3 Gujarat Titans 00000—Advanced to Eliminator
4 Kolkata Knight Riders 00000—
5 Lucknow Super Giants 00000—Eliminated
6 Mumbai Indians 00000—
7 Punjab Kings 00000—
8 Rajasthan Royals 00000—
9 Royal Challengers Bengaluru 00000—
10 Sunrisers Hyderabad 00000—
Source: ESPNcricinfo

References

  1. ↑ "Mumbai Indians Make Shrewd Trade, Re-Sign Title-Winning Spinner From KKR For Rs 30 Lakh". NDTV Sports . 15 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "TATA IPL 2026 Player Retentions Announced". Indian Premier League . 15 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  3. ↑ "Kolkata Knight Riders Announce Retained Players Ahead of TATA IPL 2026 Auction". Kolkata Knight Riders . 15 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "KKR retained, released and traded players list - Sportstar". Sportstar . 15 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "TATA IPL 2026- Retained Players.15.11.25" (PDF). Indian Premier League . Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "TATA IPL 2026- Released Players.15.11.25" (PDF). Indian Premier League . Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "IPL 2026: Released by KKR, Andre Russell retires from IPL, flaunts loyalty". India Today . 30 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  8. ↑ "IPL auction set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "KKR Auction Strategy 2026: Purse, Slots, Key Needs and Target Players Explained". The Hindu . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Green becomes most expensive overseas IPL player". BBC . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  11. ↑ "IPL Auction 2026: Big bids for Matheesha Pathirana as KKR secure elite death-overs specialist for INR 18 crore". The Economic Times . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  12. ↑ "KKR go big at IPL 2026 Auction, blend global firepower with Indian promise". Kolkata Knight Riders . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  13. ↑ "IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders squad". ESPNCricinfo . 13 November 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "KKR appoint Abhishek Nayar as head coach; replaces Chandrakant Pandit". The Times of India . 30 October 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  15. ↑ "IPL 2026 - Shane Watson joins KKR as assistant coach". ESPNCricinfo . 13 November 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  16. ↑ "IPL 2026: Tim Southee joins KKR as bowling coach". Sportstar . 14 November 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  17. ↑ "Andre Russell retires from IPL; to return to KKR as 'power coach'". Olympics.com . 30 November 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "VIDA teams up with Kolkata Knight Riders as Title Partner to Power a New Generation" (PDF). Hero MotoCorp . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
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