The anticipation for the IPL 2026 auction is increasing with each passing day, and according to reports, it will be held in December. The cut-off date for announcing the retention list, though, is likely to be November 15, and a lot of permutations and combinations are likely to fall into place over the course of next month.
KKR is likely to be one of the busiest franchises ahead of the auction after their poor performance in IPL 2025. They won the 2024 edition, but eaving some of the key players before the 2025 season proved disastrous, and they finished eighth on the points table. This time around, though, they need to be more astute in their decision-making and keep faith in their important players despite their lacklustre performance in the last season.
Thus, here are the three players KKR should retain ahead of IPL 2026 auction despite their poor performance in the 2025 season.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana had an excellent 2024 season, and he played a big role in their title win. However, the pacer struggled in the 2025 edition and leaked runs at an economy rate of 10.18.
Harshit Rana, though, is one of the rising young talents in Indian cricket. He is currently in the scheme of things in all formats at the international level and has shown genuine wicket-taking abilities. He can bowl in different phases of the game for his side, and most importantly, has done well in crunch situations for KKR in past.
Harshit Rana in IPL 2025
Criterion
Data
Matches
13
Wickets
15
Average
29.86
Strike-rate
17.6
Economy rate
10.18
Also, he can tonk the ball nicely when needed and therefore is a good utility player in the shortest format. Also, he is just 23 years old now and is likely to mature more as a cricketer and can serve KKR for a long time.
Andre Russell is one of the legends of T20 cricket, but with age and fitness not on his side, his performances have not been consistent in recent times. In the previous IPL season, he could not make much of an impact with both bat and ball and it has raised questions over his place in the KKR unit.
Andre Russell in IPL 2025
Criterion
Data
Matches
13
Wickets
8
Runs
167
Batting avg
18.55
Bowling Economy rate
11.94
Russell scored just 167 runs in the 10 innings he batted and bagged eight wickets. However, in the past, Andre Russell has won many games for KKR almost single-handedly and even now, if he gets going, he can be very hard to stop. Overall, he has scored 2651 runs in IPL at a strike-rate of 174.17 and with the ball, he has the knack of picking crucial wickets. He can also bowl at the death and is a package that KKR need to trust despite poor returns in the 2025 season.
Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock had a poor IPL 2025 and could manage just one fifty in eight matches. He also struggled to find his flow, and there is a temptation to release him ahead of the auction.
The South African though is a world-class batter who has done well both in IPL and at the international level. He can demolish bowling attacks when he is on song and has all the gears in his batting to make him a dependable asset. It shows in his IPL record as well, he has scored 3309 runs at an average of 30.63 and has two hundreds and 24 fifties.
Quinton de Kock in IPL 2025
Criterion
Data
Matches
8
Runs
152
Average
21.71
Strike-rate
129.91
100s/50s
0/1
Thus, KKR should show more trust in Quinton de Kock and retain him despite a poor IPL season in 2024.
Harshit Rana for KKR (Source: @Rokte_Amarr_KKR).jpg)
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