KKR Retention List IPL 2026: Full list of players retained and released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL Auction

KKR Retention List IPL 2026: Full list of players retained and released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL Auction (BCCI Photo)

KKR Retention List IPL 2026: The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have revealed their list of retained players ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction. Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and ⁠Angkrish Raghuvanshi are among the core group of players that the three-time champions have kept. These players have been the team's mainstay in recent seasons because of their caliber and reliability.

KKR's retentions demonstrate the team's ongoing dedication to developing talent while preserving a significant competitive advantage for the forthcoming season, reinforcing the team's idea of assembling a cohesive squad by fusing talented new players with well-established international stars.

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The team took a big decision by letting go of talented all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and seasoned player Andre Russell.

Prior to the massive auction last year, the 37-year-old Russell was kept by KKR for Rs 12 crore, but he was given one of the Rs 18 crore retention slots. However, due to his bad performance in IPL 2025, the team released him. The team also released Venkatesh, who was sold at the IPL 2025 auction for an incredible Rs 23.75 crore.

The IPL 2026 Auction is reportedly scheduled for December 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi.

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

Players released: Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Spencer Johnson, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya

Available Slots: 13 (including 6 Overseas slots)

Remaining Purse Value: ₹ 64.3 Crore