KKR IPL auction plan: Prime targets and likely top buys predicted for 2026 season

KKR prime targets for IPL 2026 [Source: AFP Photo]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction is set to take place on Tuesday, December 16, as more than 350 players will go under the hammer on the big day. The auction provides a chance for all the ten sides to fill in the loopholes from last season, and one team that desperately needs an overhaul is the Kolkata Knight Riders.

After winning the IPL title in 2024, the core of the KKR side disbanded and the franchise didn’t do enough in the mega auction last year to close the loopholes. As a result, they finished outside the playoff spot and have plenty to ponder ahead of the big mini auction day.

As the auction day looms closer, we take a look at KKR’s current squad and the loopholes the team needs to fill to win the IPL 2026 title.

KKR retention list for IPL 2026

Role distribution of KKRs's retained players

• Top order batters: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi
• Middle order batters: Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rovman Powell
• All-rounders: Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy
• Pace bowling options: Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik
• Spin bowling options: Varun Chakravarthy

KKR IPL 2026 auction budget and overseas slots

KKR has only retained 12 players in their squad and have the highest purse heading into the mini auction (64.30 crore). They have a maximum of 13 slots to fill in with 6 overseas places up for grabs.

KKR IPL 2026 squad: What are the gaps to fill?

How KKR's expected playing XI looks like

Angkrish Raghuvanshi
TBD
Ajinkya Rahane
TBD
Rinku Singh
TBD
Ramandeep Singh
Sunil Narine
Harshit Rana
Vaibhav Arora
Varun Chakravarthy

TBD- vacant slots to be filled

• KKR can go in with a plethora of permutations and combinations for the next season, especially having the highest purse in the auction. The franchise is grooming Angkrish Raghuvanshi for the last couple of seasons, and while Raghuvanshi has done well for them in the middle-order, he best performs at the top.
• KKR have not announce their captain as of yet and there is no guarantee that Rahane will lead the team next season. In such a scenario, they can also go in with a solid captain who can open alongside Raghuvanshi.
• Rinku Singh, Ramandeep, the Indian duo will need to step up as finishers, especially Ramandeep, who had a poor season in 2025.
• The bowling still looks strong on paper with Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora leading the charge.

Areas to address for KKR in IPL mini auction

A solid batter at the top

• If KKR is planning to utilise Raghuvanshi as an opener, they need someone who can accompany the Indian star at the top. The team also needs a captain, and the franchise could place him at the top alongside Raghuvanshi. Ever since Phil Salt was released, the former IPL winners have failed to replace him, and this mini auction provides them a chance to invest in a solid opener.
• Last season, the two KKR openers, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz had an average season, and hence, a solid replacement is the need of an hour.

(KKR openers performance in IPL 2025)

• KKR banked on Gurbaz and de Kock to power them to a solid powerplay starts, but the mission failed and the duo was eventually released ahead of the mini auction.

A power-hitter at number 4

If Raghuvanshi bats as an opener, and Ajinkya Rahane bats at 3, then KKR need an explosive batter at number 4. Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep will likely bat as finishers, but ahead of them, they need a solid performer at 4.

Last season, KKR tried a plethora of options at the same position, but none of the move worked as the team crashed out of the league stage.

A keeping option/finisher at 6

• With Andre Russell retired, KKR needs a solid finishing option at number 6, just before Ramandeep comes out to bat. At the same time, they also need a keeper who fits in the first XI. A keeper/finisher at number 6 is hard to find, but KKR must have done its homework by now. 
• KKR can also take a different route in the auction. Either they can keep Rahane as their captain for next season, and that would mean they need an explosive keeper at the top, and then the franchise can go after a world-class finisher at number 6.

A foreign pacer to support the Indian core

With Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson released, the KKR franchise also need a solid overseas bowler who can lead the attack alongside Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

KKR IPL 2026 auction prime targets: Whom the Knight Riders are likely to go after?

Steve Smith

As stated before, KKR might replace Rahane as the captain of the team, and if that happens, the team could go an unconventional way to buy Steve Smith. Smith is an upgrade over Rahane as T20I captain, and not only that, the batter boasts a stellar record at the top in T20s.

(Steve Smith in T20Is)

• Smith has scored 1199 runs in the Big Bash League, and most of it has come at the opening spot. Not only that, but he has scored runs at a rapid rate (147.12). If KKR need a tactical captain, Smith can be a solid choice.

Cameron Green

• With a purse of almost 65 crores, it is guaranteed that KKR will run after Green, who is a hot commodity at the moment. He has a strike rate of 160 in T20Is for Australia and can fulfill the role of an aggressor at number 4.
• Moreover, he can also chip in with the ball, and on a good day, the lanky all-rounder can easily give away 4 overs.
• KKR needs an aggressive option in the middle order after Rahane and Green, even though it will be an expensive buy, is a must-pick for the team.

Tim Seifert

• If KKR don’t run after Steve Smith, they can have an explosive keeper at the top, and no one is better than New Zealand’s Tim Seifert at the moment. He can be the perfect Phil Salt replacement, the team has been craving.
• In T20Is, he has a strike rate of 142, and can be an aggressive choice to open alongside Raghuvanshi.

Liam Livingstone

• The team also needs a like-for-like Andre Russell replacement. In reality, no one can do the job that Russell does, but if anyone comes close to mimicking it, then it has to be the former RCB batter, Liam Livingstone.
• In the IPL, Livingstone strikes at almost 159, and can perfectly play the role of a finisher alongside Ramandeep Singh.

Matheesha Pathirana

• With Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora leading the Indian core of bowlers, the team needs a solid overseas pacer, and that could be Matheesha Pathirana. The Sri Lankan star was released by the franchise, and KKR could pounce on the deal to sign him. He can also solve the death-bowling woes which the franchise had last season.

Auqib Nabi

• Apart from an overseas pacer, KKR could also do with an Indian express pacer in the form of Auqib Nabi. The Jammu Kashmir pacer has stolen the limelight in the ongoing SMAT tournament, and the franchise could invest in yet another solid Indian pacer after Harshit and Vaibhav.

Other potential players KKR can target

Ashok Sharma, David Miller, Jonny Bairstow, Yash Dhull, Ben Duckett

---

ALSO READ

CSK IPL auction plan: Prime targets and likely top buys predicted for 2026 season

---