KKR IPL 2026 Squad: Full List of Players Bought & Retained by Team
Discover KKR’s full IPL 2026 squad with all retained and newly bought players. See who stayed, who left, and key signings shaping Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Indian Premier League (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are three-time champions and the 2026 auction’s biggest hit in terms of player count, as they need to sign 13 players. Other teams have fewer requirements, so this is a unique situation in the auction. KKR, in keeping with the same trend of being the dominant team, has the largest budget of Rs 64.3 crore among all teams.
The West Bengals team consists mostly of homegrown local talent, such as Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy, whose performances were the turning point for KKR. The foundation has been laid for KKR to solve the previous season’s issues while relying on a trusted core.
The roster has undergone radical transformation. Andre Russell, a veteran all-rounder, and Venkatesh Iyer, a star batsman, are among the players who have been released, thus providing openings for new talents. In addition to these, the exits of players like Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Luvnith Sisodia, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Spencer Johnson, and Chetan Sakariya are also significant.
Players retained include Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
The auction strategy of KKR is anticipated to put more focus on improving the banana in the batting order and fast bowling options, thus maintaining balance in the spin and all-rounder slots. With the largest purse of all IPL teams, KKR is well-placed to be one of the major players in the chase for the top signings in the 2026 auction.
According to experts, the combination of young retained players and experienced players will be a great asset to the team because they will be able to change their strategies based on the auction dynamics quickly.
The IPL 2026 auction is already a hot topic, with the possibility of some surprises in the signings as teams are trying to build squads that could compete for the title. KKR's major roster overhaul is an indication that the team will take an aggressive approach to get back to the throne.
Players who have been released are: Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell (retired), Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya.
