Will South African Star Quinton de Kock Find a New IPL Team in 2026?
Quinton de Kock dominates Indian bowlers with 90-run blitz in T20I. Released by KKR, he’s set for IPL 2026 mini-auction with Rs. 1 crore base.
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On Thursday, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock played an explosive knock of 90 runs off 46 balls and thus became the mainstay of his team in the second T20I against India.
The southpaw reached the milestone of fifty in a whirlwind of 26 balls, and in the process not only he but also the whole South Africa team, created a huge pressure on the Indian bowlers and got that team's total to a competitive one. The hitting, which was in De Kock’s innings, indeed showed his flexibility to rule the shortest format even if he is taking on a perfect bowling attack.
He is currently out of an IPL team in the 2025 season, being released by Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he will be entering the upcoming mini-auction with a base price of Rs. 1 crore in search of a new franchise for the next season.
The 32-year-old has been grouped in Set 3 of the auction along with the other seasoned international wicketkeepers like Jonny Bairstow, Jamie Smith, and Finn Allen.
De Kock has played for six different IPL teams, the likes of which were Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, and Kolkata Knight Riders. He has made 3,309 runs at a declining rate of 30.63, keeping a strike rate of 134.02 over 115 matches.
The auction pool's inclusion of the player is already considered to attract the interest of the teams who are in need of an experienced middle-order batter with T20 credentials to be backed up by a proven record.
