The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a very disappointing run as defending champions in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Their star players from the previous season didn’t perform as the management would have hoped for, and they were even without their mentor, Gautam Gambhir.
The result, an 8th spot finish at the end of the season, which resulted in some big names being let go ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. However, some of them could still attract major bids from other franchises.
These KKR Released Players Could Be Top IPL Auction Buys
1) Andre Russell
Andre Russell and KKR have parted ways after several seasons. Once almost an unstoppable force, the West Indian could only show glimpses of his potential in IPL 2025.
Now that he has been released from the squad, other franchises on the lookout for an experienced and explosive batsman down the order could have a go at each other for Russell’s acquisiton in the IPL 2026 auction.
2) Quinton De Kock
South Africa’s Quinton De Kock is an experienced batsman, both on the international stage, and in the IPL.
He might not have been at his best last year, scoring just 152 runs in 8 matches for KKR, but has the potential to be a top signing, especially for any team that wants a proven opener in their lineup.
3) Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer became one of the most expensive IPL auction signings ever when Kolkata bought him for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore in last year’s Mega Auction.
He was pretty impressive in their title-winning season, scoring 370 runs at a strike rate of 139.22. In 2023, he scored 404 runs (which included a century) for the franchise, hence the backing, but failed to deliver in 2025.
Nevertheless, he, like others mentioned on this list, has lots of potential, is a proven player in the IPL, and it goes without saying that a player like Iyer could boost any franchise’s lineup.
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