Should Quinton de Kock be on the radar again?

After a horrible IPL 2025, KKR would be starting with a clean slate, literally shedding its underperforming assets, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The event is just a few days away and Kolkata has some serious shopping to do. One of the biggest shocks for them would be if the versatile Andre Russell is unavailable, which would only add to their headache.

Still, it is a good headache as KKR has the maximum purse remaining for the IPL auctions, this would give them the power to go for players, which might be impossible for other teams to buy. So, InsideSport takes a look at KKR strategy for IPL 2026 auctions.

KKR Retention List for IPL 2026

Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

List of Kolkata Knight Riders versions

Luvnathth, Quinton in Cock, Rahmanah Grabaz, Venkates, and Russell, and Russell, and John’s Scap, Anrich Johnson, Anrich Totarje, Tottje Thanksgiving.

Purse and locations for IPL 2026 auction

KKR has the highest purse, among all the teams, which will participate in next year’s IPL auction. They now have the option to add 9 more players to their existing roster.

KKR Strategy

One of the biggest needs is to find an experienced keeper, who could potentially open their innings for them. They also need solid Indian pasta. Bowling seems settled for now, but given the amount of money they have, they should look for better resources, among the ones they already have. In fact, they may overspend and have enough money in the bank to not worry.