IPL 2026 Auction: KKR ready to splash ₹10 crores on a player who can only play four matches- Who is he?

Excitement is heating up at the IPL Mini Auction for 2026. Two teams with massive financial muscle are shining - Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

While CSK has huge purse fund leftovers in the count of a whopping Rs. 43.40 crore, KKR is already on the road with Rs. 64.30 crore for the day without playing.

So, with the release of several players this year from the KKR camp, the most critical hole has been created behind the wicket-keeper-batter slot, A few options have got canceled and the team is all set to bring in a very high-quality character that can anchor the middle order and offer the team some additional stability behind the sticks.

Low on choice wicket Keepers

Amongst the star wicket-keepers available for auction, there are three names that stand out:

• Josh Inglis
• Quinton de Kock
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz

A fascinating fact is that Gurbaz himself was released by KKR!! This opens the door for an all-new wicketkeeping unit.

Josh Inglis: Wildcard Entry in IPL 2028 Auction

Josh Inglis, a wonderful form of the Australian wick-batter, will be seen going up for the Auction with suche hot hands. In the 2025 IPL season, when he played for the Punjab Kings, he made 278 runs in 11 games at a very deadly strike rate of 162.57.

Just that Punjab Kings have released him does not sit right with the young man. There is definitely a rational clarification, though:

Inglis is informed by the franchise that he will be able to play only the first 4 matches of IPL 2026 because of certain personal commitments.

The franchise had snatched Inglis on commission last season for whooping ₹11.5 crores. Judging that playing so little was senseless economically, Kings preferred to let him go, rather than to regret the error later on.

KKR's Grand Auction Blueprint

Where PBKS sees a problem, KKR detects the opportunity.

KKR has decided to give Josh Inglisma year-long strategy so that, even if he plays one more varied number of matches this year, he will surely be around the entire season of 2026.

KKR now views Inglis as a long cherry that continues swinging his bat with bursty mode at a 162.58 strike rate in his IPL career. And he's only 30 years old, so four of his prime years are still remaining at KKR Quarter-Quell.

To snatch Inglis and keep all others at bay, they are ready to pay ₹10 crore in the mini-auction if other competitors start bidding before them.

As backups, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell seem barely ready to trade helmets by swapping with any of Quinton de Kock or Rahmanullah Gurbaz, should none of this materialize. KKR is not coming out of the auction without a dependable wicketkeeper.

The IPL 2026 Auction Heats Up

With a super bid and clear strategy, plus a close watch on Josh Inglis, KKR is preparing to muster enough strength to make a stand for one of the strongest things in the mini-auction of IPL 2026.

The big question, now:

• Will Inglis be seen anytime soon in the Purple and Gold?
• This we shall find out on the Auction Day.